Please Listen To This!!!!!!!! (Men's Needs Women's Needs Whatever - Cribs)

Member Name: SaveMeTheMoney

Product:	Men's Needs Women's Needs Whatever - Cribs
Date:	13/10/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant music

Disadvantages: none

Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever is the title of The Cribs' third album, released on May 21, 2007, produced by Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand (Cribs + Franz = Pop Genius). The track listing is as follows:

1. "Our Bovine Public"
2. "Girls Like Mystery"
3. "Men's Needs"
4. "Moving Pictures"
5. "I'm a Realist"
6. "Major's Titling Victory"
7. "Women's Needs"
8. "I've Tried Everything"
9. "My Life Flashed Before My Eyes"
10. "Be Safe" (features Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo)
11. "Ancient History"
12. "Shoot The Poets"

The Cribs are:
- Ryan Jarman: Lead guitar and lead vocals
- Gary Jarman: Bass guitar and backing vocals
- Ross Jarman: Drums

Yes, they are related.

Men's Needs, Women's Needs Whatever starts off with the brilliant Our Bovine Public, one of the best opening title tracks I have heard in a long while. Our Bovine Public sets the tone lyrically, as the album is a step up from previous releases, berating mainstream pop with well crafted lines such as 'You'd never exist if you wasn't generic'.

The gorgeous 'Women's Needs', starts out with the same cavernous bass rumble as The Stone Roses' 'I Wanna Be Adored' before breaking into a less po-faced Sonic Youth - all "whooh-oh-ah"s and slightly off-kilter tuning. It makes me wonder where did they get this?

It may sound like trying to gain brownie points, or just sucking up, but Lee Ranaldo's assistance to Be Safe makes the song. It is so good, so haunting, so tuneful. I love it - it builds the bridge between studious art-rock and chest-beating stadium anthems. Strangely. Or maybe I am thinking aqbout this too much!

All of the tracks on the album are as strong as the others and the ones referenced above are only noted as being my personal favourites. But give it a listen and you could easily love the brilliant I'm a Realist or Girls like Mystery.

There is a lot of feedback on this album. But it is wierd, as it is meant to be there and the feedback is turned into part of the songs. Ok, so some will view this album ashaving too much spirit and not enough polish, but sometimes it is better that way - remeber the way you felt when you heard Coldplay's Parachutes or Arctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I am, I am not? They were not over produced albums and neither is this. Enjoy it.

It is never going to be a massive commercial success, the band are just not programmed that way - they are not The Feeling for example - but once you find them and listen to them the music of the Cribs is just amazing. In fact Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever juxtaposes scuzzy, punkish guitars and unrefined vocals with an impeccable pop polish. I know which I would rather have.

Summary: great uncommercial indie music