Libertines, The Libertines

A honey-coated album for anyone with a sweet tooth for The Libertines. The second album by The Libertines, and unfortunately their last together. An emotional end to an emotional time the band went through when writing this album. Their debut was convincing and confident, wrapped in the spirit of their relationship, with the band, and of course each other. This album does give out a more sorrowful vibe, unlike the slightly willing and ebullient jazz to the first. However, this doesn't reduce my liking of the album, just proves what a magical, triumphant band they have created. Doherty keeps his quirky vocals, I think actually improves them, which adds that bit more to the band and the album. Without the group's front man, they wouldn't be described with the extra in extraordinary. Even though there is the matter of the drug addiction and the imprisonment of Peter Doherty, all is forgotten in a blink of an eye and a blissful forty minute listen. I'm pleased to say they have stuck with their same, but still very different and raw style, to 'Up the bracket'. If you enjoyed the exceptional gift 'Up the bracket' contains, this album won't be a dissapointment. The prominent vocals really do it for me, they stand out over the the instrumentalists and you apreciate the phenomenal lyrics as never before. I will be crucified for saying this but maybe even better than the debut, and still brimming with the unique style and reconisable sound, The Libertines have flowing through them. With the grand and the big all timer 'Can't stand me now', this band immediately spills what a confident, even though troubled, band they are. The main gem of the album; 'Music when the lights go out', touches on the topic of love and really makes you feel at home with the music, and even the band itself. The album couldn't end a better way with 'What became of the likely lads', one of my personal favourites, maybe even the best, they have produced to date; touching, sensitive and honest. This album isn't for the non-believers of The Libertines, but for the crowd, the people, the fans. Myself, like the huge army of fans The Libertines have, at their command, hope this isn't the last we will hear of the band, who created the sound, stirred the lyrics, and added a pinch of problems into their remarkable songs, resulting in a final product which moved that step further than special.

The release of The Libertines eponymous second album has been somewhat overshadowed by the continued drug-addled-prison-drama-is-he-in-the-band-or-is-he-out saga of Pete Doherty and his relationship with co-frontman Carl Barat. The fact that this album was ever finished is a testament to the band's bloody-mindedness, their love for their art and the peacekeeping skills of Mick Jones, who produced the record.

Fortunately for the fans, the album lives up to all the hype, and, if Pete can keep his personal antics out of the tabloids for 5 minutes, might actually remind people that they do more than just have very public fallings-out - i.e. they write really fantastic songs.

In fact, the songwriting, if anything, has improved from the debut album and where oftentimes the songs ran together on the first album, the new offering sees the boys expanding their range a bit and trying out some new sounds, although it would be hard to mistake any of what you hear for being anything other than a Libertines song. The Clash-esque guitar riffs remain, but there are moments of punk naughtiness, some interesting reggae-style beats in places and they've certainly improved their ballad-writing skills. The subject matter remains much the same type of observations about their relationships and their rose-tinted views of the world, and contain more very British tales about unrequited love and the debauchery of everyday life.

Lyrically, however, because of all the press regarding the love-hate relationship between Pete and Carl and what they endured while recording the album, it's impossible not to read a lot into the lyrics across most of the album, ("Can't Stand Me Now," and "What Became of the Likely Lads," in particular), many of which lyrics seem to almost be directed at each other (rather than being the straightforward love songs they ostensibly are), expressing feelings that possibly couldn't be said face to face. As a witness to the now legendary onstage fracas which occurred at Brixton Academy** during an early airing of "Can't Stand Me Now," it's doubly hard to think otherwise, considering Pete himself seemed convinced the song was directed at him.

My recommendation, therefore, is to do your best to forget about the tabloid nonsense, buy this album and enjoy it. Then, cross your fingers that Pete Doherty manages to kick his drug habit, stay out of prison, and that the band survive to record a follow-up because the world would be a worse-off place without The Libertines around writing songs that are this catchy and simply this good.

In the meantime, do try and catch them on tour because even without Pete, it will probably be one of the best shows you'll see all year.

**For anyone who hasn't read the 100 interviews in the music press mentioning it, Pete kicked over half the stage before storming off in the middle of the song because Carl was supposedly looking at him funny. The band left for 5 minutes, returned without Pete, who re-emerged after 1 song, bleeding, and looking very annoyed.