Track Listing
1. Can't Stand Me Now
2. Last Post on the Bugle
3. Don't Be Shy
4. Man Who Would Be King, The
5. Music When the Lights Go Out
6. Narcissist
7. Ha Ha Wall, The
8. Arbeit Macht Frei - (German)
9. Campaign of Hate
10. What Katie Did
11. Tomblands
12. Saga, The
13. Road to Ruin
14. What Became of the Likey Lads
| Details | | Producer: | Mick Jones | | Distributor: | BMG (distributor) | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Recording information: Metropolis Studios, London, England.
Hailed as England's answer to the Strokes, the Libertines do tread the same garage-y punk-pop path as their American brethren. Fuzzed-out guitars, ragged rock rhythms, and radiant hooks abound on their self-titled sophomore effort, as on their debut, UP THE BRACKET. But while the Stooges and NUGGETS-style raunch can be heard, it is the influence of native ancestors that distinguishes the band's music. Traces of the Kinks, and early Beatles and Rolling Stones can be heard ("Don't Be Shy"), as well as cheeky '50s throwbacks ("What Katie Did"), lager-fueled pub rockers ("Tomblands"), and arch social satire ("The Man Who Would Be King")
Another key to the Libertines' success is their use of dynamics. While THE LIBERTINES rocks, it does so in a low-key, understated way. "Music When the Lights Go Out," driven by acoustic guitar, alternates dreamy, ambling verses with a punchy refrain. The minor-key rocker "Last Post on the Bugle" is so gently melodic that its edge seems incidental. There are exceptions, of course, as on the old-school punk thrash of "Arbeit Macht Frei." Appealing and familiar, yet freshly presented, THE LIBERTINES is a very strong entry in the garage revival of the early 2000s.
Editorial Reviews
At their best, the Libertines are a band worthy of the overseas claims that they're the next Kinks or Jam.
CMJ
[T]he catchy THE LIBERTINES mostly proves the Brits have always taken their pop much more seriously than we ever have.
Magnet
Ranked #22 in Uncut's Best New Albums of 2004 - [Their] punk discharges on love, drugs and mutual loathing sound beautifully, if brutally, honest.
Uncut
4 stars out of 5 - [A]n extraordinary, challenging second LP, suffused with tenderness and anger...
Mojo
4 stars out of 5 - [B]rimming with character, easily surpassing their debut, its energy level like a battery charge.
Q
Ranked #30 in Spin's 40 Best Albums of the Year - Barat concludes this beautiful train wreck with a warm-hearted yet cold-eyed three-song intervention...
Spin
[A] dark, tense record, but one still crackling with life. - Grade: A-
Spin
Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - [T]he Libs still sound like a gloriously combustible rock & roll mess...
Rolling Stone
3 1/2 stars out of 5 - [N]o band in recent history has better captured the vertiginous experience of falling apart and loving it.
Rolling Stone
5 stars out of 5 - If rock 'n' roll is all about freedom and the consequences that come with that, there's never been a better handbook.
Uncut
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