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- Up the Bracket (2002)
- The Libertines (2004)
Up the Bracket (2002)
8.5
Vertigo / Death on the Stairs / Horror show / Time for Heroes / Boys in the Band / Radio America / Up the Bracket / Tell the King / The Boy Looked at Johnny / Begging / The Good Old Days / I Get Along
I HEARD THE FUTURE OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL AND THEY CALL THEMSELVES THE LIBERTINES !!! No, not really. I’m not making any predictions about any band that might become some kind of guru for the course of rock ‘n’ roll in the next few decades, and moreover, in my opinion rock’s not doing all that bad for the moment, with the LOADS of interesting/challenging/terrific bands around, so please hold the progress while I’m trying to catch up with the here & now. One of the ‘recent’ (as a Belgian I’ve got the right to lag a year behind) new additions to the list of saviours of rock music, The Libertines’ Up the Bracket landed in my lap a while ago and since then has been in my vicinity for 24/7. While many sources (most of them the British) called them the British answer to The Strokes, I say they’re one hell of a rock ‘n’ roll band that doesn’t have to be compared to a vastly different band. OK, The Strokes also use guitar, bass and drum, could be considered “punk” and have a singer who sometimes might remind you of The Libertines’ Pete Doherty, but while the Americans are soaked in New York cool (admit it! – and I’m not even saying that’s a bad thing), The Libertines are thoroughly British, but in a way no other British band has been for many years (at least, that’s my perception) and they wear a wider array of influences on their sleeves.
Up the Bracket was produced by Mick Jones, and as you might’ve expected, it’s hard to ignore the Clash’s influence, as The Libertines seem to be driven by the same energy and vigour as that seminal band, while they also seem to have a similar grasp on rock history. These guys aren’t just stealing from a few recent bands. Instead, they’re incorporating the spirit of nearly fifty years of rock ‘n’ roll, just like The Clash, who always were much more than just a “punk” band. The terrific album opener not only boasts a deliciously gritty guitar sound and a propulsive rhythm, but it contains the looseness Joe Strummer was always aiming for, both with the Clash and more recently with his more folk-oriented backing band, the Mescaleros. This is vital music, bursting with hooks and the appealing sloppiness of, say, The Replacements and the passion of a generation that spawned Billy Bragg, The Stray Cats and The Pogues. It gets even better with songs like “Death of the Stairs,” “Time for Heroes” and the title track. The first one might be one of the best songs of 2002, boasting an insanely catchy guitar melody, an exciting bounce that forbids you to sit still and the obligatory, but already classic solo moment with added ooohz & aaahz. “Time for Heroes” tears through The Undertones’ debut in 160 seconds with one of those slightly melancholy melodies that just get to you, while “Up the Bracket” proves they’re familiar with The Buzzcocks’ roaring punk pop (just like The Strokes did listen to Television and Radiohead dissected Pink Floyd albums in their spare time). Mentioning all those influences might give you the idea that I consider them an unimaginative band or something like that, but less is true: they’re not copying or using the blueprints, but certainly not acting as if the history of rock ‘n’ roll started in 2000, either. Like dozens of bands before them, The Libertines render an augmented version of an old story, but their version has everything to become a household name as well in a few years/decades. On top of the songs already mentioned, there are also the jumpy guitar-fest of “Boys in the Band” (I still don’t get how they manage to keep that many ideas under control), the raucous attack of pure punk such as “I Get Along” (no, that’s not Casablancas singing), the Wedding Present-goes-punk of “Horror show,” while they even pull off the hints of grandiosity during “The Good Old Days.” The drunken swagger of the acoustic “Radio America” is rather unremarkable, and “Begging” is quite directionless, but apart from that, you’ve got yourself a terrific album. The Libertines have got character to spare, and fortunately also the passion and a bunch of terrific songs to back all that up. In fact, with a debut like this, they have everything to become a great band. Shit, I wish I could go “fast forward” in time after all.
The Libertines (2004)
8.5
Can't Stand Me Now / Last Post on the Bugle / Don't Be Shy / The
Man Who Would Be King / Music When the Lights Go Out / Narcissist / The
Ha Ha Wall / Arbeit Macht Frei / Campaign of Hate / What Katie Did
/ Tomblands / The Saga / Road to Ruin / What Became of the Likely Lads
Up
the Bracket, The Libertines' first full-length, was an album of tremendous
promise, and much more than that. You only needed one listen to realize there
was a bunch of naturals at work, spurred on by the drive, the need and necessity
to make music. The eagerness and spontaneity was reflected in the sound, performances
and raggedness of the songs: some of the songs nearly literally thrived on
energy, almost covering up the fact that the songwriting wasn't always that
good. However, when it did work, when the band managed to channel their
vision through the album's best songs - "Death on the Stairs," Time for Heroes"
and "Boys in the Band," for instance - the results were nothing short of fantastic,
brimming with enough ideas and conviction to make you forget all of it had
already done before. But The Libertines, they were never about creating something
new. They weren't ashamed to wear their heart and influences on their sleeves
and set out to do the hardest thing: find their own voice in a tradition of
several generations. No matter how great some of the material could be, their
appeal undoubtedly also benefited from the tensions within the band or, more
specifically, the riotous, tragic and well, pathetic story of vocalist
Pete Doherty, a careless goofball constantly walking the thin line between
casual brilliance and unreliability who'd become a walking drug problem. Between
the release of Up the Bracket and the recording of their sophomore
album, The Libertines went through more shit than most bands in their entire
existence, but I'm not going into that, there are others who can tell you
exactly what happened, like the British music and tabloid press. Or are those
two synonyms? In any case, when the band finally managed to get in the studio
again with producer Mick Jones, with the troubled times hardly behind 'em,
it became clear that their second album would be about the band's short but
explosive history so far, and especially about the Barat-Doherty relationship.
Whereas you could interpret the lyrics in more way than one, it's hard to
neglect the regrets, reproaches and references to drug use, betrayed trust
and doing things against one's better judgement. Opening song "Can't Stand
Me Now" explicitly deals with drug use ("You shut me up and blamed it on the
brown"), "The Man Who Would Be King" and "Last Post on the Bugle" refer to
the trials their friendship experienced ("I'm glad to see we're still tight,
the bonds that tie a man are tight, yet we do what we do"), and closing song
"What Became of the Likely Lads" once again captures the awkward bond between
the main songwriters ("The blood runs thicker, we're thick as thieves").
It's probably no coincidence that these personal songs are usually the most consistent and memorable tracks on the album, more substantial than the few throwaways that pop up here and there. While Up the Bracket's rough ready-to-go sound proved to be perfect for the band's uncontrolled excitement, The Libertines' unhinged, almost instable sound serves as the sonic equivalent of the tension within the band and, if possible, even stresses it. The drums are "big" and upfront, but the guitars (one usually playing muted but distorted chords, the other clean & simple recurring patterns) are surprisingly subservient, as if letting the vocals steal the show. Looking (listening) from a distance, Barat and Doherty are both shitty singers, with a lousy timing and an impressive talent for off-key experiments, but they're good vocalists, delivering their lyrics with a sincerity and smugness that's exactly would you'd expect (and hope for) from these guys. As such, the vocals can be either hit-or-miss (and a cringe-inducing example of the latter can be heard during the fairly atrocious "Don't Be Shy"), but fortunately it usually works. Just check out how much of the charm of "Last Post on the Bugle" is derived from the almost breathless vocals. Other highlights that hang together at the seams are the opening track with its totally random (but effective) harmonica break at the end, "The Man Who Would Be King" with its silly la-la-la-las and the closing track, all songs that unapologetically present you the frayed status of the band. While these four songs seem to contain the heart of the record, there's more material that makes it worthwhile. In fact, apart from the afore-mentioned "Don't Be Shy" and the dragging drunk's lament "Road to Ruin" (the kind only people like Nick Cave or Shane MacGowan get away with), there's no weak material here. Brief punk tunes "Narcissist," "Arbeit Macht Frei" and "The Saga" get the tempo up and remind you what a great energetic outfit they once were, even if they're not ideal for repeated listening. "Music When the Lights Go Out" further romanticises the lifestyle and past of the band, "Campaign of Hate" seems to deal with their nation's obsession with what's here today and gone tomorrow, "Tomblands" is a Clash-tribute (that's how it sounds, at least), and the cutesy "What Katie Did" challenges you to not sing along with those shoop-shoops. The Libertines is definitely a worthwhile album, but also an immensely frustrating one. It's not just because it's the second time around they show you they're perfectly capable of creating a masterpiece yet don't actually pull it off, it's also because the album's more consistent than the debut, but lacking the peaks that would make it really great. And with a production like this, which I think fits the music perfectly, you have one disadvantage: it only stresses the occasional flaws in the songwriting. Nowadays, it seems unlikely that we'll get another Libertines album by this line-up, as the main songwriters have gone their separate ways, and that's a goddamn shame. They were contenders, but could and should have been more than that. It's always the same with them British nancies.
Note: The album also contains a nice acoustic hidden track that's extra interesting if you dig audible nose-breathing.