Reviewing the Reviews

If there's one thing that's consistently frustrating about music writers, it's their lack of willingness to go back and reevaluate their opinions once the initial excitement (or disappointment) of an album has worn off. In order to further the cause of journalistic humility, here's my take today on reviews I wrote this year.

(Click on the album title for the original review)

The Good The Bad and The Queen

Original Rating: n/a

What I said then: As hard as it is for this Radiohead fan to admit, while everyone was looking elsewhere, Damon Albarn established himself as Britrock's most consistent and innovative artist. His motives may have been questioned since he told us that there's no other way, but the results speak for themselves: the Blur behemoth, obviously, but also Gorillaz--a hugely popular group that manage to remain indie in the best sense of the word. Albarn's voice and melodies now have an instant familiarity that make his albums the aural equivalent of comfort food. In other words, he's become the Sting that doesn't suck.

What I say now: Well, this is obviously pre-"In Rainbows", so make that second most consistent and innovative artist. This album was quite good, but after playing it to death for the first couple weeks after its release, I haven't had the desire to return to it. Not sure why that is, really. Should've gotten an 8.

Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

Original Rating: n/a

What I said then: I wanted to like this record more than I actually did. "Neon Bible" gave me few reasons to return after my initial couple of listens. Arcade Fire's flaws are born of the best intentions, so it feels unfair to completely write them off. But after slaving away in that office downtown, you might not want to spend your hard-earned money on such a joyless and ultimately forgettable collection of songs.

What I say now: I don't even want to like this record anymore. That might have something to do with it being a steaming pile of dog shit. I took a lot of flak for this review, but I think I got it right. Should've gotten a 3.

The Veils: Nux Vomica

Original Rating: 7 out of 10

What I said then: Elsewhere, Andrews puts his distinctive warble to good use. While it's very likely a love/hate proposition for many listeners, this reviewer finds that he's usually careful not to overdo it. Yes, he often errs on the side of melodrama, but somehow it fits these songs. There is still a noticeable Buckley influence here, but one that's more "Sketches" than "Grace". Tracks like "Jesus for the Jugular" and the title track have a dark, bluesy feel reminiscent of Buckley's "The Sky Is A Landfill" or "Nightmares By The Sea" before them.

What I say now: This was a really solid album: complicated, compelling, and satisfying. If anything, I was too hard on it. Should've gotten an 8.

Interpol: Our Love to Admire

Original Rating: 6 out of 10

What I said then: The intricate "Mammoth" is like a finely crafted piece of origami, impressive in its complexity, yet ultimately hollow. "Rest my Chemistry" and "The Scale" are uneventful retreads of songs done better on "Turn on the Bright Lights". "Wrecking Ball" tries to incorporate compelling elements like a brass section, minimalist drums, and multi-tracked vocals, but the end result is a musical mess. This sort of failed experiment is why God created b-sides; for Interpol, a band never known for its prolificacy, it has become a crucial album cut.

What I say now: This album was truly terrible--a 6 was being incredibly charitable. Maybe I was hoodwinked by admittedly great first single "The Heinrich Maneuver". Everything else was shit. Should've gotten a 3.

Foreign Born: On the Wing Now

Original Rating: 7 out of 10

What I said then: Foreign Born are like a musical Rorschach test. U2 fans hear Bono in Matt Popieluch's soaring vocals and the Edge in Lewis Pesacov's effects-laden guitar. Joy Division devotees hear Ariel Rechtshaid's driving bass and immediately think of Peter Hook. For this reviewer, Foreign Born conjure up the nervous energy of the West-Coast groups heard on the Nuggets compilation: Maybe it's Popieluch's manic acoustic guitar throughout the album, or the propulsive drums of Garret Ray on tracks like "It Wasn't Said to Ask" and "Into Your Dream". However you peg them, it's clear that Foreign Born are mining a rich musical tradition: The chorus guitar on "In the Shape" is pure "Dirty"-era Sonic Youth; on the aforementioned "Into Your Dream", Popieluch evokes the spirit Lou Reed in his prime.

What I say now: That 7 was sort of an 'A for effort'. Foreign Born certainly have a lot of potential, but there were simply too many forgettable moments (or not enough memorable ones) on this record. Should've gotten a 6.

Babyshambles: Shotters Nation

Original Rating: 9 out of 10

What I said then: There are so many striking moments of spontaneity on the record that it's hard to mention them all here: the way the verse in "Deft Left Hand" is transformed into something quite special, taking the rest of the song along with it; the way the sparkling middle eight in "French Dog Blues" resolves into a Who-inspired breakdown; or the way "Crumb Begging Badhead" references obscure inter-war-period Polish writer Bruno Schulz before exploding into a 60s-organ-based freakout. This is why people originally gravitated towards Doherty, these little moments that make the listener chuckle at his nerve and marvel at his talent.

There's nothing more boring than a band that tries to make a "perfect" album, and you could never accuse Babyshambles of doing such a thing. This album has its flaws, whether it's the clumsy drumming on "Unstookietitled", the predicatable, Oasis-lite opening riff of the aforementioned "Deft Left Hand", or the relatively weak choruses on several of the tracks. But these are minor complaints.

What I say now: While this was definitely one of the most enjoyable records released all year, I may have gotten a little overzealous here. In retrospect, those choruses weren't just relatively weak, they were downright anemic. Should've gotten a 7.

Radiohead: "In Rainbows"

Original Rating: 10 out of 10

What I said then: One of the most interesting developments on "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" was the way in which the band learned to be so economical in their use of instruments: every piece of the arrangement played a distinct role. One example of this is "Like Spinning Plates", the sparse cymbal hits of which stand as one of Phil Selway's most evocative performances. The band got away from this on "HTTT" (see: laserbeams) and the record suffered as a result. "In Rainbows" benefits from an overall more minimalist approach: it's difficult to imagine Chris Martin having the courage to write something so deceptively simple as "Jigsaw Falling into Place" or "House of Cards".

What I say now: Sure it hasn't been very long since it was released, but my appreciation for this record continues to grow. There are no weak tracks here, and the likes of "Bodysnatchers" and "Reckoner" rank up there with the best songs the band has produced. Should've gotten an...11!


Think I got something wrong? Discuss it in comments...

Listen to "History Song" by TGTBATQ:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Babyshambles: Cuckoo (Demo, from the "Doghouse Sessions")

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Thoughts onBabyshambles: Shotters Nation

There's an old adage in music, attributed to Miles Davis, that goes 'It's not what you play, it's what you don't play.' It's a good quote, and one that a lot of current acts would be wise to follow. Pete Doherty has never had that problem, but amidst all the chaos, he may have stumbled onto an ever greater truth: It's not what you play right, it's what you play wrong.

In an age where music, much like literature, has been turned into a computerized cut-and-paste exercise, an act more akin to editing than creation, The Libertines' "Up the Bracket" was the equivalent of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road". Like the spools of paper flowing from Kerouac's typewriter during the composition of that novel, the emotional torrents of "Horrorshow" and "Time for Heroes" suggested adventure and freedom. In terms of sound, that mercurial album had the sort of wayward production values one would expect. Pete's partner-in-crime (pardon the pun), Carl Barat, once said The Strokes sounded like a badly recorded Velvet Underground. Well, The Libertines sounded like a badly recorded Strokes. You do the math.

Whereas The Strokes, weighed down by the maudlin stiffness of their songwriting, have long ceased to be interesting, Pete has managed, somehow, to stay relevant. That's not to say he hasn't tried to sabotage himself along the way. The second Libertines album, originally scheduled to be produced by former Suede man Bernard Butler, was supposed to be the album of the decade. Instead, owing to the fact that Pete and Carl couldn't resolve their differences, it devolved into an under-produced (even by Libertines standards) and underwhelming presentation of some otherwise brilliant songs. The first Babyshambles album, "Down in Albion", was so unlistenable that even this dedicated fan has yet to sit down and listen to it the whole way through. Miraculously picked up by a major label, Pete brought in former Blur and Morrissey producer Stephen Street to add a bit of studio polish to this album, Babyshambles' second. The question on everybody's mind has been, could Pete's songs be produced in a way that wouldn't dull the improvised artistic brilliance witnessed in the best moments of The Libertines?

The answer is a resounding yes. In fact, "Shotters Nation" contains some of the best music Pete has ever committed to tape. The centerpiece of the album is the fantastic "Baddies Boogie". Musically speaking, it's a chimera: it begins with the sort of Smiths-esque bounce that Pete was so fond of in The Libertines. After a beautiful bridge punctuated by some bittersweet lyrics ('He fell in love, carried her over the threshold, thinking 'she's far too good looking to do the cooking''), however, the song turns downright nasty. A punk sludge bubbles under an angry rant by Pete: 'It's a lousy life for the washed-up wife and the permanently plastered pissed-up bastard' he repeats, his voice building in ferocity with each recitation. It has to be the filthiest use of alliteration in a pop song in a good long while.

There are so many striking moments of spontaneity on the record that it's hard to mention them all here: the way the verse in "Deft Left Hand" is transformed into something quite special, taking the rest of the song along with it; the way the sparkling middle eight in "French Dog Blues" resolves into a Who-inspired breakdown; or the way "Crumb Begging Badhead" references obscure inter-war-period Polish writer Bruno Schulz before exploding into a 60s-organ-based freakout. This is why people originally gravitated towards Doherty, these little moments that make the listener chuckle at his nerve and marvel at his talent.

There's nothing more boring than a band that tries to make a "perfect" album, and you could never accuse Babyshambles of doing such a thing. This album has its flaws, whether it's the clumsy drumming on "Unstookietitled", the predicatable, Oasis-lite opening riff of the aforementioned "Deft Left Hand", or the relatively weak choruses on several of the tracks. But these are minor complaints.

On the confident and infectious opener, "Carry on up the Morning", Pete intones, 'In the morning where does all the pain go? Same place as the fame--straight to your head'. That may be true, but the tabloid furor has apparently done nothing to dull the only thing worth caring about in the first place: Pete's ability to craft memorable songs.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Listen to "Carry on up the Morning":

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Babyshambles: French Dog Blues (Promo)

Drip...Drip...Drip

Carry On Up The Morning (Glory)

NME has an interesting, if purely speculative, post about the connection between Pete and Oasis:

There’s been a lot of talk about the influences behind Babyshambles’ new album ‘Shotter’s Nation’. Does ‘Delivery’ rip off The Kinks (maybe a little). Was it really Graham Coxon’s guitar playing that encouraged Pete Doherty to recruit producer Stephen Street (it was).

However one massive influence seems to have been missing in discussion of the album, and Pete’s career so far – Oasis.

The stadium-filling Mancs might seem to jar with the surprise gigs at The Boogaloo Bar favoured by Babyshambles and The Libertines, but from the bigger sound of their new album, to the anthemic qualities of songs like ‘Albion’, ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ and ‘Time For Heroes’, the hand of Gallagher has never been to far away...

[Read the whole post]

Young Pete waiting to buy the Oasis album:

Listen to "Baddies Boogie" (Radio Rip):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Pete Doherty and Wolfman: "Darksome Sea" (Rough Version)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Recording Session:

[ Video Link from NME]

The Babyshambles-Shotter's-Nation- Poor-Quality-Web-Rip Extravaganza

"French Dog Blues":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"UnStookieTitled":

[Download the MP3 Here]

"There She Goes (A Little Heartache)":

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Babyshambles: The Lost Art of Murder (Web Rip)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Babyshambles: Delivery (Promo)

Babyshambles: Delivery (Radio Rip)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Babyshambles 2nd Album Details

NME Reports:

Comeback single 'Delivery' is currently scheduled to be released on September 17.

The tracklisting for the album is:

'Carry On Up The Morning'
'Delivery'
'You Talk'
'Unbilotitled'
'Side Of The Road'
'Crumb Begging Baghead'
'UnStookietitled'
'French Dog Blues'
'There She Goes'
'Baddies Boogie'
'Deft Left Hand'
'The Lost Art Of Murder'

And here's their official preview:

Babyshambles' eagerly awaited new album will be out later this year - and we've got an exclusive track-by-track preview for you here.

Anthony Thornton, The author of the 2006 book The Libertines: Bound Together, has listened to the as-yet-untitled record - and below is his verdict.

'Carry On Up The Morning'
Starting with a rambunctious solo as prickly and spiky as anything on 'Down In Albion', momentarily it sounds like it will be a close cousin of that record. Then the whole band sweeps in and it's clear it's completely different. It sounds big and anthemic without compromising. And then there's the first surprise: Pete Doherty swaps lines - almost to the point of duetting - with himself. It's disorientating but very cool.

Key lyric: "Given up trying to explain/Put it in a song instead."

'Delivery'
The first single from the album features a riff reminiscent of The Kinks' 'All Day And All Of The Night'. The passionate chorus, driven by Mick Whitnall's arpeggios seemingly take the song to an emotional peak before and a chorus of 'oooohs' pushes it even higher. A demo version was available on the Stookie + Jim Bumfest Demos.

Key lyric: "I'm fucked, forlorn, frozen beneath the summer/Don't sing along or you'll get what I got."

'You Talk'
Shuffles on with a kind of swagger of Blondie's 'One Way Or Another' with a staccato riff. Pete mangles the phrase "You Talk" so it becomes a vocal refrain part-accusative, part jealous.

Key lyric: "Songs are just a game/ I'm getting better at cheating at."

'Unbilotitled'
Featuring a story with a cast of characters including Doherty, Wolfman and Mick Whitnall (Blue Eyes) this delicate arrangement is one of the prettiest melodies of the album. It's probably the only recorded song featuring a plea to put trousers on.

Key lyric: "Wolfman said to Blue Eyes 'put your trousers back on.'"

'Side Of the Road'
Has been around since The Libertines' 2003 New York sessions (confusingly called 'The Babyshambles Sessions') a loose ramshackle guitar riff that sounds like the 'Steptoe & Son' TV theme, accelerates into a punk thrash featuring Doherty's machine-gun delivery.

Key lyric: "Half dead a third alive a quarter ticking/ over on the middle by the side of the road."

'Crumb Begging Baghead'
A verse that sounds like cross between The Stone Roses and a classic 1960s garage rock track with a juddering guitar riff. The outro is a Hammond Organ-driven double speed outro.

Key lyric: "I'm crumb-begging baghead baby/"I bet you say that to all the girls."

'Unstookietitled'
Inspired by a guitar riff from 'Fuck Forever' (Doherty even quotes the song) the delicate riff and restrained music bursts into one of Babyshambles' catchiest songs.

Key lyric: "You smoke your cigarettes down to the bone."

'French Dog Blues'
Named after Doherty's hand-drawn French Dog that adorns the cover of 'Down In Albion'. Delicate waves of guitar ebb and flow as before a Who-esque peak.

Key lyric: "So this washes over you/My French Dog Blues."

'There She Goes'
Originally drafted and played solo acoustic by Doherty, this one features upright double bass and brushes giving it a loose jazzy feel wonderful at odds with anything the songwriter has done previously except, perhaps, on the very earliest Libertines demos.

Key lyric: "Caught sight of her white plimsoll/You were dancing to Northern Soul."

'Baddies Boogie'
This is story of a relationship that started with fireworks and finds them 20 years later loathing each other. A great insistent riff
A poetic riff in the middle that out-miserables the likes of Plan B and will have crowds screaming a belligerent "lousy life" at the top of their lungs come autumn.

Key lyric: "Thinking she's far too good looking/To do the cooking/Oooh, that was twenty years ago."

'Deft Left Hand'
From the massive insistent guitar riff, before falling on a staccato subtle toy xylophone and repeating riff and a massive chorus of "Iiiiiii wanna stay by your side", the song showcases how producer Stephen Street's input has expanded Babyshambles' musical scope.

Key lyric: "Went from cheery vagabondage to cold-blued luxury/In four years."

'The Lost Art Of Murder'
First aired on the 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' show, this recording features '60s folk legend Bert Jansch accompanies him (he last performed it at Hackney Empire on Jansch's 'Needle Of Death'). Doherty's lilting voice weaves with the guitar on this precise delicate final song.

Key lyric: "You call yourself a killer boy but the only thing you're killing is your time."

Listen to "Carry On Up The Morning" (demo):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Download the Demos]
[Band Myspace]

Babyshambles: Sedative (Promo)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]

Babyshambles Album Finished?

Spirit of Albion has this little nugget from drummer Adam Ficek's blog:

"Hello, Things in shambles land so far,
Visited Peter at his book signing today, far more turned up than expected, I haven't seen the book yet, I'm sure it'll be an interesting read.
The Album is all finished now, I think it was mastered today!
First single released Sep 16th, Delivery.
Now we start the artwork/video stuff.
So who went to Glasto shindig? I felt we faired ok, not our best not our worst. It's hard sometimes without rehearsals you know! We haven't played together since the myspace show.
Just about to step on the stage when the worrying self questioning of 'how does the intro to pipedown go again', 'how many bars before Peter starts the vocals on beg steal', 'Is there a double chorus, second time around on delivery'. I tend to just cross fingers and hope my memory leads the way.
Anyway I think we pulled it off."

Trailerpark Life

Pete's living in a trailer under an overpass, apparently:

DOWN-and-out junkie Pete Doherty is living in a CARAVAN after being chucked out by Kate Moss.

The smackhead singer wept yesterday as he admitted that he is now dossing in a squalid camp site.

It is a far cry from the smart town house he shared with supermodel Kate before she locked him out this week.

The singer headed back to the run-down home yesterday after escaping jail again, despite admitting motoring offences and possessing Class A drugs.
Downcast Doherty told reporters: “I live here now.”

His home is parked under the Westway dual carriageway in a crime-ridden part of Shepherd’s Bush, west London. The area is littered with broken-down cars and blitzed by graffiti gangs.

We revealed yesterday how furious Kate, 33, kicked out the Babyshambles star after he spent the night with a brunette called Lindy.

And as he appeared at West London Magistrates’ court, Doherty broke down in tears as he admitted he was effectively homeless.

Doherty’s lawyer Sean Curran said his client was “suffering personal problems”.

The singer wept as the judge asked him his address and he struggled to remember where he lived.

He started giving model Kate’s address in St John’s Wood, north London, but then hesitated and said “actually that’s changed”.

His lawyer told the court Doherty’s address was in Hackney, east London.
But immediately after the case, the singer headed to the caravan site he now calls home.

Doherty, 28, had earlier walked free from court despite arriving so late the judge had issued a warrant for his arrest.

Judge Davinder Lachher told police to track down the singer, who had been due in court at 9.30am but had not arrived two-and-a-quarter hours later.

Moments after the warrant was issued shamefaced Doherty ambled into court, telling reporters: “I’m a bit nervous.” He admitted possessing crack cocaine, heroin, anaesthetic ketamine and cannabis when his car was stopped in May 5 this year.

He also confessed to driving his Jaguar without insurance or an MOT and the new charge of failing to appear in court.

As the judge weighed up her options Doherty was banged up in the cells for two hours.

After lunch she told him she was sparing him jail on the basis that he goes into rehab in Harrogate, North Yorks, later this month.

He was told: “If you go to this place to have detox and take advantage of it then we will see what sentence is appropriate when you next come.

“But if you do not I can tell you now that you will go into custody.”

Babyshambles: Gang of Gin (Unreleased)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Not Just a Lazy Sunday, Apparently

From the Guardian:

What's the most annoying thing about Pete Doherty? Is it the ad nauseam coverage of his relationship with Kate Moss? The endless court appearances and attempts at drug rehabilitation? Or maybe it's that pork pie hat perched on the back of his straggle-haired bonce?

Actually, none of those things bother me. I like my rock stars to be badly behaved and even more badly dressed - that's their job. No, the thing that annoys me about Doherty is that he's bone idle. For example, earlier this month, after announcing that Babyshambles had finished writing their second album, he went on to say that all he had to do now was convince his record company, Parlophone, that it "doesn't need to be highly polished".

Really? You'd be hard pressed to find a record less polished than Babyshambles' debut album, 2005's Down In Albion. It sounded like a collection of demos. In some cases, demos of good songs - Fuck Forever and Albion - but demos nonetheless. Even the most devoted Doherty fan would have to concede that it's a scrappy, disappointing album.

Doherty's inability to finish anything is long established. His old band, the Libertines, were required to sack ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, who produced the two most coherent moments in their career, What a Waster and Don't Look Back Into the Sun, not once, but twice. The reason on both occasions: he made Doherty do things he didn't want to, such as sing in tune and play guitar properly (in fact, rumour has it that on Don't Look Back Into the Sun, Butler ended up playing Doherty's parts). On both occasions Butler was replaced with the Clash's Mick Jones, whose chief qualification seemed to be that he let Doherty do what he wanted, in other words as little as possible.

The argument advanced by Doherty apologists is that he's a bohemian and his slapdash recordings "capture the moment". And, anyway, he's the artist and if he says it's finished, then it is; if anyone thinks otherwise then they're probably the kind of square who's more comfortable listening to the Alan Parsons Project. You can hear this line of reasoning on the lips of many young bands: hotly-tipped dance rockers Foals, noisy goths the Horrors and Libertines acolytes the View all subscribe to it to some degree, as does Johnny Borrell, a man who rates his own talent so highly he thinks a record as insubstantial as the first Razorlight album entitles him to claim parity with Bob Dylan (it is no coincidence that Borrell was once a member of the Libertines).

There's nothing wrong with picking up a guitar and having a go even if you aren't Eddie Van Halen. Plenty of exciting music has happened that way. But there's a cult of amateurism among British bands that's perilously close to laziness and Pete Doherty is its guru. Now that's really annoying.

Listen to "Lazy Sunday" by The Libertines:

[Download the MP3 Here]

Victory is sweet for Pete

From the BBC:

Anything Didier Drogba can do, Pete Doherty can do better.

While the Chelsea striker pounced four minutes from time to secure an FA Cup win over Manchester United, Doherty left it even later to clinch an unexpected win for his side in the Celebrity Soccer Six event.

He also picked up the player of the tournament award - confounding the doubters who assumed he would have two left feet.

The Babyshambles team entered the event as rank outsiders but secured a place in celebrity football folklore thanks to Doherty's late intervention.

The singer slid in to convert a Frank McAvennie cross with seconds left on the clock to clinch a 1-0 win over DJ Spoony's team in the final.

He then did a lap of honour around West Ham's Upton Park ground, before declaring: "I'm delighted we've won - and I'm really pleased about the money everybody has raised for The Samaritans"...

The Babyshambles side were managed by Queens Park Rangers legend Stan Bowles and Doherty, who used to sell his own fanzines as a teenager outside the west London club's ground, was disappointed his side did not play in QPR colours.

"I like the Barcelona strip, but I thought we'd be playing in the blue and white hoops," he told BBC Sport. "Unfortunately that was not the case"...

Doherty's team included former West Ham striker McAvennie and Babyshambles manager Andy Boyd, who admitted: "You could not have written a better fairytale ending"...

Co-manager Adrian Hunter added: "I'm gutted I didn't put a tenner on it, because the odds would have been long! There's a track Babyshambles are recording for the new album called The Deft Left Hand - Peter's winning goal was more a case of the deft right foot!"

10-Song Introductions: The Libertines

Getting into a band, especially an established one, is no easy task. There's often a daunting amount of material to sift through, along with the possibility of being called a bandwagon jumper. With this new feature, I'll try to introduce you to the best aspects of a band, with the hope that you'll hear something you like.

This week's artist: The Libertines

1. "Up The Bracket" ("Up the Bracket" LP)
From the bohemian absurdity of the video, to the slightly awkward pop sensibility of the song (something that many have tried, and failed, to duplicate), this was my proper introduction to the Libs. It's a perfect representation of the band's manic creative energy around the release of their debut album.

2. "Time for Heroes" ("Up the Bracket" LP)
Featuring the finest use of triplets in a long while, this was when many people stood up and took notice. For good reason, too. Match a touch of doomed romanticism ("We'll die in the class we were born--that's a class of our own my love") with the grittiness of The Clash, and you have in less than three minutes what many bands spend a lifetime trying to capture.

3. "The Delaney" ("Up the Bracket" Single)
At first blush, this is a simple pop-punk song. But further investigation reveals guitar work with echoes of Marr, and lyrics with echoes of Reed. Easily the most infectious song The Libertines ever created.

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

4. "Don't Look Back Into The Sun" (Babyshambles Sessions)
Although people are probably most familiar with the studio version, the original demos of the song from the Babyshambles Sessions are the real treat. Sounding like a track that was left off of the C86 mixtape, this is a chance for Pete to show-off his indie-pop bonafides.

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

5. "Can't Stand Me Now" ("The Libertines" LP)
Another perfect example of why The Libertines' second record should have been the best pure rock record since "Definitely Maybe". Pete had no business writing a bridge so incredible, or lyrics so perfectly poignant: "Cornered, the boy kicked out at the world--the world kicked back, a lot fucking harder."

6. "What Katie Did" ("Babyshambles" B-Side)
There are many versions of this song floating around. The worst being, ironically, the one that appeared on "The Libertines" LP. This song appeared on the original Babyshambles sessions and immediately stood out because of its unabashed pop stylings: "shoop, shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang".

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

7. "What a Waster" (UK: Single, USA: "Up the Bracket" LP)
The much talked about debut single, this was produced by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Thus, the sound is more intricate guitar-wise, yet lacks some of the punch of the "Up the Bracket" material. Pete makes up for it with an absolutely brilliant vocal which both revives archaic cockney slang and references everything from the Book of Revelations to Ulysses. Truly, only in a Libertines song.

8. "Ha Ha Wall" ("The Libertines" LP)
This is one of Pete's strongest compositions, an early favorite despite not receiving the proper studio treatment until "The Libertines". It turns up on the Babyshambles Sessions, the Sailor Sessions, and the French Sessions. The Smiths influence reveals itself again, paired with a striking lyric: "I've been thieving; I stole the light from the dawn."

9. "The Man Who Would Be King" (Babyshambles Sessions)
This demo of a song that would later appear on "The Libertines" demonstrated a new level of subtlety and complexity, qualities that would mysteriously vanish from the proper studio recording. The song also set impossibly high expectations for the second record, expectations that would be dashed by rushed performances and little-to-no production.

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

10. "The Good Old Days" ("Up the Bracket" LP)
This song neatly summed up the Libertines manifesto: "There were no good old days--these are the good old days". A song about triumphing over drug abuse and other calamities, it contains that distinctly Libertines mix of despair and hope.

Pete Doherty: Rhythm Factory 1/17 (MP3's)

[Savefile Link]
[Link and picture from feefifofum and Luke on the .Org forum]

Update: Babyshambles sign long-term deal with Parlaphone

At last, some stability in Pete Doherty's life. The troubadour/narco-enthusiast and his band Babyshambles have reportedly signed a three-album contract with Parlophone records for an also reported £1m. What will he do with all that money?

The big deal follows a brief liaison between band and label last year when Parlophone released The Blinding EP to critical acclaim if not sizeable sales. Parlophone execs certainly seemed happy with the new arrangement, however, when they made the announcement last night.

"We're extremely pleased to be welcoming such a vibrant and talented band into the Parlophone label", said Miles Leonard, Parlophone's managing director. "Babyshambles, justifiably, have a great reputation for crafting some of the most exciting music around today, and in Peter Doherty they have one of the best songwriters of his generation." He's a great songwriter, you see, so they use his full name.

Not surprisingly the band's management were also quite pleased and held forth on the matter. "Both management and the band are thrilled to have signed this deal and look forward to a long, fruitful, and creative relationship with Parlophone."

Let's just wait and see on that one, eh?

Pete Stabs Carl in the Back

From Rolling Stone:

There are many things to love about Carl Barat: His songwriting talent, the impossibly cool boots he wears, his admirable unwillingness to shit-talk a certain drug-doing, model-banging, train wreck of a former bandmate. Pete, on the other hand, does not return the favor (and his boots aren’t nearly as cool). Doherty has reportedly said that the only thing he misses about Barat is the great crack he used to score for Pete, and that Barat’s new band, Dirty Pretty Things, suck, especially when compared to Doherty’s Babyshambles. “We really got it. All he’s got is the fact that he was in the best band and now he’s in the worst band. And he needs to sort that out,” Doherty reportedly sniffed.

Let's remember the good ol' days...

"Time For Heroes"

Jake Drake's Best of 2006

1. Devandra Banhart-Cripple Crow
2. Darker My Love- Darker My Love
3. Cold War Kids- Robbers & Cowards

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Show Your Bones
5. Arctic Monkeys-Whatever People Say I Am, That's What Im Not
6. The Young Knives-Voices of Animals & Men
7. Be Your Own Pet- BYOP

8. The Horrors- The Horrors
9. Catfish Haven- Tell Me
10. The Shys- Astoria
11. The Long Blondes- Someone To Drive You Home
12. Babyshambles-Down In Albion