An Amazingly Touching Album

This record isn't simply an album. It's the end of the begginning for the painful romance and sprawling saga that is the destructive relationship of Carl Barat and Pete Doherty. So much has been written about the Libertines since the release of their classic debut Up The Bracket, that anything else I say is completely irrelavent; love them or hate them, the band have already passed into legend as not only one of the best bands the world has ever seen, but as one of the great rock n roll stories of all time. But amongst all this hype and classic excess, it's easy to forget that the Libertines make fantastic music. And this album is about the terrible tension, mounting emotions, and tragic love of gifted band leaders, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, who are torn apart by drugs, The lyrics are unsettingly autobiographical, but also touchingly beautiful.



Album opener Can't Stand Me Now kicks things off in style. Carl Barat muses on his bandmates "Light fingers" that "Threw the dark, shattered the lamp and into darkness cast us" he says, speaking of when Pete broke into his flat. Pete responds with the albums most quotable line: "The boy kicked out at the world, the world kicked back alot f****** harder" They then launch into a chorus of "You can't stand me now" Carl sings bitterly, while for Pete it sounds like agony.



Next comes "Last Post on the Bugle" And you are suddenly hit by the fact that you are watching a band fall apart progressivly, and listening to the long goodbyes of Carl, Gary, and John saying farewell to Pete. "If I have to go, I will be thinking of your love" sobs Pete to Carl. The album is laced with love, but that love is laced with confusion, longing and fractured hope - conflicting feelings expressed in a series of taunts and appeals. "Inside I felt/So, so alone," sings Pete presumably of his drugs, while in "Don't be Shy" the pair sing lyrics like "But don't be coy with me I'm too clever to follow you down/To the dark and stormy weather, babe/Or you may wake up one day in the last chance saloon/To find your last chance has been and gone"



In "The Man Who Would Be King" possibly the best track on the album, Pete sounds like his going to collapse into tears, as he gasps boldly before every line and sobs. It contains the albums most truthful, raw and terrible lines, and has the best lyrics the Libertines have ever written."My heart beats slow fast/I don't feel right/With a sleight of hand I might die" Pete sings of the influence of drugs before launching into a chorus of "la's." Next up comes a verse sung by Barat, where he sings the terrible line to Doherty "I lived my dream today/I lived it yesterday/And I'll be living yours tomorrow" he says responding to Doherty's earlier words on the guys friendship "Well I heed the words you say.../But my heart has gone astray/I watched friendship slip away/But it wasn't s'posed to be that way"



Then comes Music When The Lights Go Out,heartbreaking ballad which was written by Barat for Pete, but Pete sings it. It's impossible for me not to tear up after I here this, so devestating is it. "Well, I'll confess all of my sins/After several large gins/But still I'll hide from you/And hide what's inside from you" says Pete.



Yet among all the darkness there are moments of fun. Songs like Narcissist, The Ha Ha Wall,Tomblands and Campaign of Hate are dripped in the Libertines trademark wit."Poor kids dressing like they're rich/Rich kids dressing like they're poor/White kids talking like they're black" they sing on Campaign of Hate.



What Katie Did, The Saga, Road to Ruin and What Became of the Likely Lads are the next songs up. What Katie Did is a song about a girl lost to drugs. And is an edearing sing-along. But it seems as if Barat is talking to Pete when he says "Since you said goodbye/Polka dots fill my eyes/And I don't Know Why" The Saga is Doherty speaking of his drug habit, and how it effects those around him: "I dig my bed you dig my bed/I dig my grave" Road to Ruin is Barats response to that. It's him begging Doherty to come back to him, "How can we/Make you understand?/All you can be/Is given in your hand/Trust in me/Take me by the hand"



The duo may join forces to sing "we're thick as thieves" in the album's closer, What Became of the Likely Lads, but Barat keeps demanding: "If that's important to you." Each time Doherty affirms, "Yes, it's important to me", frustration mounting when he isn't believed.



This is an extrodinary record. The Libertines may have a slim legacy, but the quality of their music cannot be denied. When the band first came out, they were the labled the british Strokes, but they have superseded their mentors, and emerged as a revolutionary band.The album's cover shows Barat and Doherty reunited on the latter's release from prison last year. It's an astonishing image, the pair radiating tenderness, pain, pride, diffidence, a desire to protect and be protected. Here are two people clinging to each other, sailors on a shipwreck, searching for shore. "If I have to go," Doherty sings in Last Post on the Bugle, "I will be thinking of your love. Oh somehow you'll know - I don't know how but you'll know - I'll be thinking of your love." There is a faith in those words, a sense of trust that seems to have faded since the album was recorded in spring. It's hard not to think of The Libertines as a valediction. It's even harder to think that this is the end.

Can't stand me now

The Libertines were a tempestuous band, to say the least. Divided by drugs and personal problems, they never sounded as ticked off as they do in their self-titled album -- an album about fractured, dysfunctional relationships. It's a bit sloppy around the edges, and weirdly engaging. Just hope it isn't their swan song, because there is clearly so much more they could do.



It opens with the rollicking "Can't Stand Me Now," before heading into the grittier rock turf. The Libertines sound tense and a bit taunting as they sing songs like the weird "Last Post On The Bugle" and the punky "Man Who Would Be King." They break occasionally from the "theme" of the album, like in the thrashing "Arbeit Macht Frei," but the overall sound is of strife in a friendship or relationship.



When listening to the Libertines' latest, it's hard not to hear the stories that lie under the music -- as UK tabloids delight in repeating, frontman Pete Doherty got kicked out for heroin use, meaning that the Libertines may be permanently done for. Hopefully not, because their sophomore album has the same cheeky, punkish spirit that got them fans on both sides of the Atlantic.



"The Libertines" itself seems to be an ode of love and hate to Peter Doherty -- "Can't Stand Me Now" seems like a sneer in his direction, while "Road to Ruin" is a plea for him to clean up his life. It ends on a wistful note, with the lament of "Oh what became of the Likely Lads/What became of the dreams we had?/Oh what bcame of forever?" Only "What Katie Did" really fails, with Doherty constantly singing "Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang de-lang." What? Huh?



Pete Doherty was apparently shuffled into the studio whenever he could manage to sing, and he has laddish charm that you can hear even without seeing him. He always sounds a bit drunk, too -- considering the amount of drugs this doomed man ingests, it's not surprising that he sounds a bit off.



Fortunately, his occasional vocal shortcomings are easily glossed over by the brilliant slabs of rock'n'roll that frame his singing. This is Britrock, pure and simple. Backing him up are some brilliant guitar solos, touched with organ, trumpet and even harmonica -- good stuff.



Whether the Libertines regroup or sink into rock history, their self-titled sophomore album is the sound of a potential tragedy in the making. Rough, catchy, melancholy and yet charming, this is definitely a must-buy.

Grows past, but isn't as fun as, "Up the Bracket"

This will sound harsh, but whether the album is meaningful to insider fans, I don't know. My critique is about the feel and flow of the album itself.



On a long roadtrip last year, I was accidentally brought "Up the Bracket" as my only music. I loved the faster, catchier tunes instantly, but it longer to appreciate the rest of the album. It was worth it, though, of course.



I took "The Libertines" on a road trip, and even after listening to it twelve times, I still found myself pausing only on "Can't Stand Me Now," "Last Post on the Bugle," "What Katie Did," and "What Became of the Likely Lads." I found the rest repetitive and slipshod.



On "Up the Bracket," the "this probably could have used one more take" feel that pervades the album is endearing, because in spite of their imperfections each song has a catch or a riff that makes the song sound like it is moving, not standing still. I found some of the vocals on "The Boy Looked at Johnny" annoying, but the clever lyrics and the "New York City's Very Pretty" refrain easily save the song.



Not so on "The Libertines." The songs that sound like "this probably could have used one more take" probably could have used one more take. I love love the Clash, but I think that Mick Jones was lying when he refers to this album ("The Libertines") as "really having it [the once-in-a-generation-sound that he touts the Clash as having] right now."



The band expands, using rockabilly and other creative flourishes, but on the songs where they go experiment with these forms, you find yourself thinking, "Wow, they're doing rockabilly. Very brave. But they're not really that great at it."



So the great songs are great, the rest are okay. In terms of the rest, imagine "Boys In the Band" never getting to its bridge or refrain and you'll have a rough picture of what I'm talking about.



But I like music with gravel AND honey, so if you loved/adored/worshipped EVERY song off of Hot Hot Heat's "Make Up the Breakdown" or the Clash's "Combat Rock," then don't listen to my review. But, like "The Libertines," I thought those albums contained a few diamonds in a lot of rough. I mean, "In Cairo?" What's up with that?

Oi!!

For all of you "The Clash" and "Blur" fans, this band rocks! It really brings Joe Strummer back to life especially now that he's gone (may he rest in peace) because it brings back the same chemistry that he had with the beloved "Clash". "Can't Stand Me Now" is an excellent song, a great way to start the album. Its a very catchy song with the same (50's/60's rock) tempo Joe's boys used to use in some of their songs. It brings back what I call 'classic' songs like "Jimmie Jazz" and other songs. "Man Who Would Be King" is one of my favorites because of its smooth tempo as well but also because how it ends; with a touch of slow jazz. "Campaign of Hate" is short but excellent because of its slow-start and then a faster-tempo-as-it-develops ska/punk-rock style. "What Katie Did" is actually my favorite song and in my opinion, it kicks "Modest Mouse's" 'Float On' fifty times. True the lead singer's voice isn't the best one in the world, but Joe Strummer's voice wasn't the best one but still he is one of the most respectable and most important figures of punk-rock history. "The Libertines" are bringing that back to life, even though they have split up because of the lead's singers drug-problems. In my opinion, they are or were, an all-around band that can play anything real good without having excellent vocals. In fact, I liked all of their tracks because of each song's originality, and each one's uniqueness.



If you've never been into "Sex Pistols" or "The Clash" or "Blur", then my guess is that you are definitely not going to like it. But if youre into old-school punk-rock, with a 60's rock touch like "The Hives" or "The Vines" have, then I think you might like these guys. After all, rock is not just about bands like "Three-doors Down" or "Maroon 5" or "Five for Fighting" or "Creed" or "Taking Back Sunday" or "Lenny Kravitz" or "Good Charlotte" or "Fountains of Wayne" and lots of others that I would love to mention. In my opinion these are all unoriginal, mediocre bands that play the same thing over and over. And fame? hitlists or 'hotlists'? They don't mean they have the best music there. It's the ones that aren't famous that are the best music. That's why R&B and Pop music is unfortunately taking over where rock should be. There aren't many good rock/alt or indie-rock bands out there anymore.



I think people should explore other options, not just american rock bands, but good quality alt/rock or indie rock british bands like these, and "Blur" and "Radiohead", or aussie bands like "The Living End", which are "Green Day-ish", for example, or even local bands like "Queens of the Stone-Age" are good because of their originality and style. Good music does not necessarily need good vocals. It's how they play that matters. It's all about chemistry, and originality, and the tempo, and the style. That's why, to me, "The Libertines" will be the band that could've been one of the greatest, somewhere near "The Clash", if they hadn't split up so early. But they are still one of my fav's.