The ultimate boys in the band (Up The Bracket - The Libertines)

Member Name: Catzy

Product:	Up The Bracket - The Libertines
Date:	13/04/04 (173 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's the Libertines!!!, They make you proud to be British, They all sound plastered!

Disadvantages: They haven't made enough boxes for the advantages section

Hi guys. I've not written you lovely people a review for a very very long time, I come back finding that about 3 members have added me to their "People I trust List", ( Wow - I'm popular! Not a clue why, but still! ) my Alex Parks review has been crowned. ( How lovely of you guys! ) and that my joke of the day in my profile has been the same joke for months. And Victoria Beckham's a recording artist again.

So, I return to make my mark on Dooyoo with this Libertines review.


If I had to put these guys down in one phrase it would probably be The Strokes with Cockney Accents. No, more like The Strokes, after they've had about 8 beers, combed the perms out of their hair, then messed their hair up, reduced the number of band members they have to four, and lived in the streets of London for 6 weeks. Yeah, that sounds about right. So really they don't sound that much like the Strokes. So that was just a waste of time. Anyway - these wonderboys (Did I just call them wonderboys? Well I suppose anything could happen - Victoria Beckham's a hip hop artist...) are The Libertines! Now, NME Magazine readers will probably have come across them, as they feature regularly in their issues on a weekly basis. ( Well, they did until that band Franz Ferdinand popped in to say hello...)

They aren't really that known really, I wouldn't say they were as mainstream as The Strokes, I dunno if they have been on Top of the Pops or not, but if not it's probably because Victoria Beckhams filling up about half the show asking the viewers which one of her 'music' videos we should vote for. (Niether sounds good to me) Or they may not be that known because Pete Doherty (Lead singer most of the time) has been thrown in prison for breaking into another member's flat. Or, they might just be a bunch of cr*p, and I'm just in a state of complete awe for the band that blinds me from this fact until it wears off in 6
weeks time. But until that time comes, let me just worship the living daylights out of them, by shoving their debut album in your faces. Track by track review coming up...

1. Vertigo

It starts off with Vertigo. The song doesn't beat around the bush. It gets into the song almost straight away, with a bit of the ol' guitar bursting in with a jazzy loopy tune, and then this drunken drawl comes in ( Pete Doherty ). No honestly, I bet he was absaloutely plastered when he recorded this album, because he sounds out of it from start to finish. But that's not neccesarily a bad thing! I think it sounds pretty cool! A bit of a drawback is, that if you don't speak Ozzy Osbourne language you won't understand a bleeding word they are saying unless you read the lyrics to the songs written down on a page. I notice that instead of trying to be mysterious, and deep with their lyrics they just go straight to the point, and seem to tell a mini tale in each song. This one is telling the story of a boy who is in love with a girl who is high up in her house, and it tells of the boy's hesitance to go up there and talk to her. Hence the title being Vertigo. The song tells him to just go up there, and basically stop being a wuss.
" Climb up to her window ledge or you'll forever be just walking under ladders as the people round you hear you crying please! " I quite like the chorus, as everything goes to a lighter jazzier edge and then drops straight down into guitars bashing around up and down as if they were climbing a ladder. See what I did there?

2. Death In the Stairs

It starts off slower than the first, with a nice small quitar playing a few notes, and then in come the other electric guitars to gun down that one little guitar and bash a new tune. And then Peter comes in fast, and more guitars come in with a total different tune, but the other tune still remains, so we have a nice mixture of the two, well three
tunes actually, because Peter's singing a totally different tune to the guitars anyway. But it still manages to gel together very well. It's quite quirky, as Peter at one point will plead " Oh please kill me..." then about 2 seconds later will quickly change his mind and say " Oh no, don't kill me " and then he'll spiral off into the chorus. We also have the pleasure of other vocalist Carl on backing vocals chime in nicely to Peter's drunken drawl.

3. Horrow Show

BAW BAW BAW!
Tap tap tap tap
BAW BAW BAW!
Tap tap tap tap

Sorry, that's how it sounds at the start. Three raspy scrapes of the guitar, and then three gentle taps on the drum sticks. Probably one of my favourites, as I can really crash around to this one in my room without caring what the lyrics are about, because I don't think Pete gives a t*ss either, as he is most obviously wasted when doing this, but it still carries a strong melody. It's completely mad, as its tempo varies from completely manic and fast, to a little slower line, and then just completely lets loose into mad crazy guitar extravaganza. Peter isn't the best singer in the world, this song highlights that fact, but it seems to suit the song none the less, and it when it ends it sure as hell gives you a shock, because it doesn't die down, it doesn't fade out, it just stops. Bang. It's like it's in the middle of a high speed car chase and they stop it just as its getting really good because they hit a set of red traffic lights. What a world...

4. Time for heroes

This one is more of a nicer sentimental track...

Wait a minute - did I just say that? In the middle of a Libertines review? Ah well, I guess anything can happen in this world of music, I mean, Victoria Beckham's got a record deal for gawd's sake...
It starts with a few streaky guitars, and then kick starts into the track, they're not
ones for hanging around are the Libertines. This one has a nice noticeable melody, which changes pace quite abruptly, and it seems to follow that pattern of fast changing pace quite quickly. With lines such as "I cherish you my love" and Carl Barat's harmonising with Peter's it is a more less rockier track, but it still carries all the Libertine's traditions, their clangy guitar's changing pace and Pete's dazed singing. Wasn't a stand out one for me I'll admit.

5. Boys in the Band

This is one of my favourite tracks on the album, I think it's got a classic tune, and it sums up the Libertines very well, with trashy guitars, drunken drawls, and cheeky lyrics ("They all get them out for the boys in the band") This is the traditional Libertines music for me. As it ticks all the boxes to have a proper Libertines song. It's very catchy and the beginning sounds a very good idea, with Pete giving a bit of attitude with no music attatched for the first through lines apart from jazzy guitar weaving in and out of his words before the whole thing kicks in true Libertines style. I love you Mr Peter Doherty, please stop doing illegal things and stay with this band forever! (Ok - that's a long shot I'll admit...)

6. Radio America

When I first heard this I couldn't believe that the Libertines could be boring. "Skip" was the first thing I thought of, but I let the record drag on until the end, and the simple melody that had been bobbing along clumsily in the background had wrapped itself round me. So I put it on again even though I really wanted to hear the next track, and it really grows on you I found, it's very downbeat and in a way I think that this is a good addition to the album, because it proves that even these lot can sometimes just can't be bothered to do anything. (Like me for the last 6 months I guess then) The whole band sounds bored and so bored the
y just don't bother being in tune, and the mildly hypnotic guitar which is gently floating around somewhere is in the background somewhere, so after my grumblings that the Libertines needed to down a few glasses of champers down their necks or they go down to the boring depts of boringdom, I decided that a bit of a sit down is all they needed.


7. Up the Bracket

Sit down over, time to get up again. Favourite track of the album. But then again, it was before I even got the album. If your thinking about following this band the one track you want to listen to to get an accurate description of the Libertines then this is the track you want to listen to. And I don't think they could get a better start, you instantly know that this is Up the Bracket when you hear Pete Doherty screaming in some mad attempt to get his lungs out of his system (As you do) which triggers the whole band into immediate action. The melody is instantly hypnotic and very catchy and upbeat. Look at all those adjectives - my english teacher will be proud! Pete's telling a story in this, god knows what about, but who cares because the chorus is fantastic, the guitars slow down into melody which is BETTER than the first melody and your locked into the song now, following it, as the guitars take slow steps down a musical staircase. Ooh - metaphors too - gold star for me! When Pete sings "And it's just like she's in another world" that's also when your in another world because the tune Pete's vocals are singing and the melody the guitar are playing fit together so well it grabs you in it's vortex. I think I was into this song the first time I heard it but I've played it so many times over my mind has learnt that it is a crime to hate this record, so my memory of it being a bad track has been instantly erased by those mad guitars.

8. Tell the King

I think the start of this track is fantastic, it starts with some dreaded
guitar chords, and you can hear Pete mysteriously passing little messages through the guitars harsh strikes, and it goes quiet for a second so that you can hear him cunningly whisper "I've got a little secret for ya" and then the tune spreads out into a classy little tune which slows down for the important lines, and then will strive on to fit with the melody which sounds more downcast than upbeat I'll admit, but I think it's a cracking tune. I think the track almost loses it as it transfers melodies near the beginning, but pulls back at the last minute to work well. And then as it draws to a close it turns into a weak little tune which would be worthy of a nursery rhyme tune, but it seems to all fall into place with the song, and still make it sound rock and roll!

9. The Boy Looked at Johnny

Looks like they ressurected Elvis to help them record this track, because the first part is just classic rock n' roll and I Pete's just gone absaloutely mental with the first few verses, and just when you think the song's going to fall apart that's when it starts to draw towards the chorus which is much more together and with an instantly catchy melody and everyone calms down singing gently "And new york city's very pretty in the night time, but don't you miss Soho where everybody goes..." And then a bit of ladadeedaas takes place to hypnotise you into the remaining few bars of the chorus so they can shock you when Pete goes mental again. It's a memorable track and it doesn't need to grow on you, it's as if you've already heard it a million times before. They could do without trying to sound American though, because their incredibly strong english accents kind of give them away.

10. Begging

And now we come to what can be described as an album filler. It starts off quite slow which is a bit strange for these guys, after a while of drumbeats a guitar gradually comes on an
d then slowly and surely Pete comes in. The track's ok, the chorus is lovely and melodic but for me it's not anything standing out, but it I still don't think I would press skip. Well - I might do - depends if I can be bothered to reach the button I suppose.

11. The Good Old Days

Apparently the good old days weren't actually that..good...

I love the start of this track, it slides in, and then Pete's vocals creep over the crafty guitar and then a joyous backing joins them and it turns into quite a charged up track but still on that same slow pace. The chorus is quite catchy with some nice harmonies going on in the background, and this is really a clear song with a reliable backing and a strong melody, which sometimes the band lacks. I love the irony that the good old days weren't really good after all, it's not too nice but hey - it makes for great lyrics.

12. I get Along

Crackin' finish to the album. An echoing beat pulsates at the start with a guitar hinting the tune to the chorus and then it kicks off for one last time. It travels on at a steady pase, and then the chorus comes in and it's a flawless chorus, it's really one you can sing along too. It sounds like the tune to another song, but until I can think of what that is I'll give these guys the credit for a catchy chorus. The song kind of falls apart halfway through when Pete's had enough of singing and just breathes 'f*ck it' to trigger everyone to go absaloutely CRAZY, which is what we like. The words start to lose sense and the guitar glides away and then your just left in your chair, hair messed up to the skies, booze poured halfway down your shirt, wondering what just happened to you. It's like the perfect binging session and the album leaves with you the equivalent of a hangover once that last chord's strummed.

And then you click play and it starts all over again, haha!

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