The Libertines – The Libertines
The life of these lads is not something that is ordinary and normal. Drug addiction, jail time, love, betrayal, and anything else you can think of has happened in the Libertines camp. The mythology of the boys is just so mega. The Libertines are in shambles: Pete has been on and off in the group and with one listen to the record you will hear it. These boys are broken.
After all the talk, their album is finally with us. The opening chords of “Cant Stand Me Now,” which is beginning where “Don’t Look Back In the Sun” left off, starts the record. “Cant Stand Me Now” has a certain dark tone to it – you almost feel like you’re in the room with the band arguing over some issue. It’s a deeply personal track, yet at the same time kids can dance to it. “The Man Who Would Be King” is essentially the brother of “Tell Your Kind” from the first LP since they share a similar feel. The lyrics deal with making it in the game and tease us by saying they got a “secret for us.” This is a bloody brilliant tune. “Music When the Lights Go Out” is an older song according to the boys. The song has such a sad guitar riff and really feels like a private moment of the boys’ where they are just letting out there feelings over losing a friend. “Arbeit Macht Frei” has such a cool name I think. The boys get louder and angrier here than they have in awhile. The vocals are almost inaudible but the energy is fierce and intense. “What Katie Did” is an old live favorite that finally makes it onto a record and wow what a song. The track is a love song done the Libertines way. Also the track throws back to some old 60s records with a “swoop swoop delang delang.” The track is beautiful and shows them getting a bit more romantic and playful. “What Become Of the Likely Lads” closes us down and does so on quite a down note. The lyrics are dreadfully personal and you can relate to the story of the Libertines quite well. “They sold the rights to all the wrongs” – that line just says everything. All we want to know is what will become of the likely lads? Will this be it?
: The Libertines second album is not a dramatic departure from their early work but they still know how to craft a great pop song and they still really know how to turn things up. You can tell that the time recording this album was difficult; just one look at the lyrics will show that. The band who are in pieces have made a defiant album.Whatever happens with the band they have left us with some great music and stories. This album is the best album they could have made during these hard times. I think its pretty damn good.
By John Siwicki
