Dead Flowers: Ten Tracks from 2009

Download the Mix

1. The Veils - Sit Down By The Fire

An absolute epic on a record that could've used a few more of them, to be honest. Big, rolling drums and chiming acoustic guitar sound like a statement of intent from From Finn Andrews and Co.
Myspace

2. Pete Doherty - Arcady
Ever since Up the Bracket, Pete has dealt with high expectations. His failure to meet them means that even his good records get overlooked.
Myspace

3. Mew - Beach
Mew recaptures the magic of Frengers on this and most of the other tracks on No More Stories...
Myspace

4. Animal Kingdom - Signs and Wonders

Although it falls squarely in the guilty pleasure category, this is still a top tune.
Myspace

5. Foreign Born - Early Warnings

The high point of an otherwise spotty sophomore effort.
Myspace

6. Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel

Great song. Good band. Mediocre record.
Myspace

7. The Notwist - Gloomy Planets (Live)

Probably my most listened to track in 2009, this live performance is featured on the new documentary Music No Music.
Myspace

8. The Raveonettes - Break Up Girls!
One of a handful of standout tracks from a great, great album.
Myspace

9. The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love

More tracks like this and The Big Pink could emerge as an important band.
Myspace

10. Dead Skeletons - Dead Mantra

Still gets my vote for song of the year. It will open up new musical worlds you didn't know existed.
Myspace

Honorable Mention:
The Ruling Class - Sleeping Beauty
A little too early 90s Britrock for its own good, this was still an intriguing track in a year with precious few of them.

Highlights from 2009 on Dead Flowers:
Interview with Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes)
Interview with The Ruling Class
The "Utterly Brilliant" Radiohead (Video)
The Veils - Sun Gangs Review
Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands Review
Download Special - The Veils Acoustic
Download Special - Radiohead - Kid A: Amnesiac Live in Paris
Download Special - The Sound of Young Denmark
RIP Steven Wells
The Veils/Foreign Born Live Review
Fall Review Omnibus
My band releases its first EP

And a bit of history...
Best of 2006
Best of 2007
Best of 2008

Thanks for visiting Dead Flowers in 2009. See you next year!

Peter Doherty: The Ballad of Grimaldi (B-Side Version)

Listen/Download:
"The Ballad of Grimaldi"
Myspace
Wiki

Thoughts On:Peter Doherty: Grace/Wastelands

If you've stopped by to read a critical review of Pete(r) Doherty's first solo record, Grace/Wastelands, you've probably come to the wrong place. My love of The Libertines and Pete's other endeavors goes back to the release of Up the Bracket. It's the topic where my lack of a journalism background truly shines through as I'm exposed as an unprofessional, hype-vulnerable fanboy.

Editor's note: This probably boosts his journalist credentials.

Ok, I'll admit that I gave Babyshambles' much-derided second record Shotters Nation a 9/10. I'll fess up to saying that the second under-produced, under-developed Libertines record was "the best thing they've ever done". I'll even own up to my shame at thinking I could write a Libertines 33 1/3 book despite the fact that 1) I've never had a review published in Pitchfork and 2) I don't ironically profess a preference for Celine Dion records.

But, right, back to Grace/Wastelands. I think it's great. A lot of these tracks have been kicking around for some time (as is Pete's wont) but Doherty, along with guest guitarist Graham Coxon and reliable producer Stephen Street, have found a way to infuse new life into them. Opener "Arcady" is an infectious country shuffle, with Coxon showing off some great guitar work. Lyrically, Pete also doesn't disappoint:

You said he was your teacher
Taught you true and wise
But now you know more than your teacher
I see nothing but cool self-regard in your eyes

"Arcady"

As potent as the Libertines' music was, Pete always seemed needlessly limited by the traditional punk arrangements and instrumentation. Grace/Wastelands, however, is a realization of the versatility and surprising depth of influences Doherty revealed on the original Babyshambles sessions. "A Little Death Around the Eyes", presented with an orchestral backing reminiscent of Scott Walker, sounds absolutely sinister. Coxon's accompanying guitar is claustrophobic, echoing the opium-induced doom of The Stones' "Sister Morphine". Pete's lyrics are crude, even cruel:

You'll cook and clean and sew when I tell you to
And you'll dance and screw when I want you to
In the hotel room you take your medicine
On all fours that's your medicine

"Salome" has Coxon accenting some of Pete's most interesting guitar work to date. Single "Last of the English Roses", which I have to admit has really grown on me since I first heard it, successfully incorporates dub beats and middle-eastern textures. "Palace of Bone" starts out as acoustic Libertines (with Pete seemingly aping Carl's baritone in the verses), but then transforms into a 60s psych freak-out. Pete chants "I'm gonna build me a palace of bone" as weird percussion and guitar noises clang chaotically behind him. It's the kind of track that demonstrates the songwriting prowess and imagination Pete's most ardent supporters always claimed he had, only now we have proof.

"Salome" Acoustic:

There are probably a couple of skippable tracks here. "1939 Returning" earns Pete points for trying to tell a story over the course of a song; the problem is the melody is largely forgettable. Similarly, the collaboration with Dot Allison, "Sheepskin Tearaway", is not only a bit boring; it also conjures up a troubled time for Pete that most of his listeners would probably rather forget.

At this point, with Babyshambles' limited commercial success and the recent disbanding of Barat's Dirty Pretty Things, a Libertines reunion is pretty much inevitable. One can only hope that when they reconvene to record an album, Doherty brings along the more refined and adventurous musical palate on display throughout Grace/Wastelands.

Artist Links:
Myspace
Wiki
"Last of the English Roses" Contest

Pete Doherty: Last Of The English Roses (The Late Late Show)

Listen/Download:
"Last of the English Roses"
Wiki

Pete Doherty: The Last of the English Roses (Radio Rip)

Listen/Download:
"Last of the English Roses" (Radio Rip)
Website
Wiki

Dead Flowers Interviews Adam from Babyshambles

Adam Ficek is best known as the drummer with Babyshambles. He has played on both of the band's records, Down in Albion and Shotter's Nation. Adam has a solo project called Roses Kings Castles, whose self-titled debut LP was released in the UK in September. He was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions about drumming, Babyshambles, and that elusive Pete Doherty solo record...

DF: I saw a very early incarnation of Babyshambles (Summer 2003) when they could barely play. The current lineup seems much more focused musically. Could you talk a bit about the musical evolution of the band?

AF: Well in the early days Peter just had help from friends to get the music out, it was when he asked Patrick (Walden) to form a band for him that things really became more focussed, he asked Drew (McConnell) and Gemma (Clarke). Gemma left I joined - blam

DF: How did the band change when Pat left?

AF: It was a different type of band, Pat is much more improvisational where as Mik (Whitnall) is very much 60's based riffage, the band didn't change that much just musically it leant to a different direction.

DF: How was it working with Stephen Street?

AF: Stephen is one of the most underestimated producers of our times. Without Stephen Shotters Nation would have not been made. He isn't just a recorder, he shapes and sculpts the words and melodies that we come up with. He took the rough edges off of our shamblisticness.

DF: With The Libertines, Pete seemed really fond of that hopping, shuffling rhythm that the Smiths used. It still pops up in Babyshambles songs, like "Baddie's Boogie", but it's not as prominent. Is that because of a conscious decision on Pete's part, your own drumming style, or a combination of the two?

AF: I'm not sure really, I know what you mean but it wasn't a conscious decision, perhaps that rhythm had been exhausted in previous songs.

"Baddie's Boogie" Live:

DF: Any headlines you can give us regarding Pete's solo record?

AF: It's released in March.

DF: You were in The White Sport with Andrew Aveling. It's taken on a sort of mythical status among Libertines obsessives. Can you talk about your time with the band and that record?

AF: That record was made by myself, Patrick and Andrew Aveling, whilst Pat was writing with Peter. It was a good time, we supported the Libs and Babyshambles and that's how I got to know Peter initially.

DF: How did your solo project come about? What sort of things can you do with the group that aren't possible in Babyshambles?

AF: I play and write all of it so I have total control. I can use the instrumentation that I wish, whether thats synths, strings or coconut shells

DF: How would you describe Roses Kings Castles to the unitiated?

AF: Good old fashioned indie pop.

Listen to "Horses" by Roses Kings Castles:

DF: Can you tell me about live performances by Roses Kings Castles? Is it just you with an acoustic or have you recruited a backing band?

AF: It's just me live at the moment, I will get a band but I don't think it's fair on the Babyshambles guys. They are my band, I am loyal to them...

"Entroubled" Live:

DF: I was a Libertines fan before the tabloid furor, and it always bothered me that that was the way they got noticed. They never got the credit they were due for some amazing musical output. Same goes for Babyshambles. I thought the second record was fantastic, but Pete fading as a tabloid sensation sort of colored people's perceptions of the record. I can imagine that there's an even greater sense of frustration within the band....

AF: Not really, it is what it is, the media attention got us noticed on a different scale but yes it does cloud the music sometimes. Everyone has heard of us or Peter but few have heard the music!

DF: How has London influenced you musically ?

AF: It doesn't really, probably the people I meet and the lives of characters in London, there's a lot of fakes in London - which annoys me..It's very fashionable to be in a band so this brings out lots of poor quality, insincere music..

DF: Do you have a preferred instrument other than drums?
AF: Vibraphone, it's melodic yet percussive, I play it on every track of my album..

DF: What other drummers have influenced your playing?

AF: Max Roach, Mitch Mitchell, Alan Wren

DF: How do you approach arranging for your own group as opposed to other projects where you play drums?

AF: It's much more melodic and chordal then playing the drums, I can get much more emotion into a guitar and piano rather than drums, it's great to rock out with shambles but it's also important for me to be able to express myself melodically.

Thanks to Adam for speaking with Dead Flowers. He's currently on tour, so try to make it out to one of his shows.

Tour Dates:
Dec 13 2008 8:00P legends - Luton
Dec 29 2008 9:00P Spaceland - L.A . USA
Jan 5 2009 8:00P Leicester - Charlotte
Jan 6 2009 8:00P Cambridge - Portland Arms
Jan 7 2009 8:00P Nottingham - Bodega
Jan 8 2009 8:00P Liverpool - Academy2
Jan 9 2009 8:00P Manchester - Ruby Lounge.
Jan 10 2009 8:00P Wakefield - Escobar
Jan 11 2009 8:00P Birmingham - Bar academy
Jan 13 2009 8:00P Newcastles - Academy2
Jan 14 2009 8:00P Hull - Adelphi
Jan 15 2009 8:00P Preston - 53Degrees
Jan 16 2009 8:00P Derby - Rockhouse
Jan 18 2009 8:00P Castleford - The loft
Jan 20 2009 8:00P Cardiff - Barfly
Jan 21 2009 8:00P London
Jan 23 2009 8:00P Sunderland -Voodoo room
Jan 26 2009 8:00P Captain’s rest - Glasgow
Jan 27 2009 8:00P York - Fibbers
Jan 28 2009 8:00P Wrexham - Central
Jan 30 2009 8:00P Bern - Switzerland


Listen/Download:
"Beg Steal or Borrow" by Babyshambles
Roses Kings Castles Myspace
Babyshambles Wiki

An Interview with Yours Truly

Record of the Day, a music industry publication from the UK, has an interview this week with your humble webmaster. Here are some highlights:

Where are you based?
Chicago. For now.

What made you start an mp3 blog?
I used to have a more traditional music blog (Glamorama). But then I realized it was pointless to spend two or three paragraphs talking about how great a song was when you could just post the mp3 or YouTube.

Who are your favourite three artists?
Radiohead. Rolling Stones. The Libertines.

Pick just one artist as a tip to break through in 2008
Ida Maria

Is there a band or track that you were first to feature in the blogosphere that you are particularly proud of?
I think this happened more often with my first blog, Glamorama. The blogosphere was a smaller, friendlier place then, and you didn’t have the same swift synchronization of opinion. With Interpol, a friend of mine played me an EP of theirs way back in 2000. I saw them in early 2002 before they were signed. So while there might have been some New Yorkers talking about them, I was probably the first to bring them to a wider audience. Same goes with The Libertines. Of course, they had a boat load of NME hype, but I was an early champion of them outside of the UK, much to the consternation of some other bloggers. More recently, I was probably the first blogger outside of LA to feature Foreign Born.

What would be your dream job in music?
I’m a drummer. I was out in LA for a while trying to ‘make it’. But the more I saw of the industry, the less I wanted to be a part of it. For me it always goes back to the Andre Kertesz quote: “I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way for the rest of my life.” I’ll always be involved in music. It just won’t be a paying gig.

Read the whole interview in the latest issue (8/7/08) of Record of the Day (subscription required).

Listen/Download:
"Radio America" by The Libertines

The Libertines: Tell the KingThe Courteeners: Acrylic

Listen:

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

Promo:

The Libertines are just Dandy

Finally someone in the press gets it. This from The Guardian:

The Libertines rule, OK?

Released five years ago this month, the Libertines' debut album Up the Bracket remains the most influential and important British album since its release. Maybe of the decade, even. It's not the best, but in terms of cultural impact it has yet to be surpassed.

Which is surprising, but not that surprising given that they referenced the better bits of post-war English culture - Peter Ackroyd, Ray Davies, Steptoe and Son, the Buzzcocks - and in doing so, created an over-romanticised vision of a country that never really existed anyway: Albion. Up the Bracket was as a conceptualised jumble, a musical psychogeography of London, from the Caledonian Road across to Whitechapel, New Cross up to Bethnal Green.

Perhaps I need to contextualise this argument by pointing out that a combined poll of the major UK music press best albums of 2000 had the likes of Doves, Coldplay, Dandy Warhols and JJ72 featuring highly: not exactly life-changing bands.

Pivotal albums are about time and place and for all its faults (bad production, crap artwork, half-realised ideas), Up the Bracket offered more than just the music - thankfully, some might say. It also offered a lifestyle and an outlook. From their bog-standard yet suitably self-explanatory name to their good use of accessories (brogues, hats, cravats, gaffer tape) to an unspoken understanding that rock bands were meant to be interesting, preposterous, indulgent and indulged the Libertines injected a new energy into shabby old indie rock...

Read the whole post

Listen to "Death on the Stairs" (Bernard Butler Version):

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Wiki]
[Read my (rejected) book proposal for an "Up the Bracket" 33 1/3]

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

Listen:

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

Dirty Pretty Things: 9 Lives

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]
[Band Myspace]
[Get the "Love Music Hate Racism" Compilation with This Week's NME]

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]

Severed Alliances

Here's a good piece from the Guardian about musical partnerships:

The announcement last week that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had decided to reform Led Zeppelin for One Night Only, despite years of simmering resentment and the suggestion that hell would have to freeze over before they once more bestrode the stage like corkscrew-haired colossi, got me wondering: is rock'n'roll really just a history of men's love affairs with their other halves - their male partners in the band? And, without those love-hate relationships and the desire, in US shrink parlance, to complete unfinished emotional business, would rock'n'roll have ever sounded the same?

Most of the biggest bands ever have been dependent on a co-dependency, the sort that makes the most dysfunctional marriage look healthy and sane. From the hyphenated to the ampersandy, there have been Page and Plant, Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, Morrissey/Marr, Strummer/Jones and Wilson/Love... Think of a great band and it usually contains two warring partners who might otherwise, at least if Freud had his way, be copulating wildly on the studio floor; think of an all-time classic rock song and it's more likely than not the result of friction between two rampaging egos who are secretly vying for each other's love.

And it's still going on: in the 90s, Suede's Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler loathed each other with a vengeance, publicly so, making their recent reunion all the more weird ("Actually, not that weird." - Anderson and Butler's accountants), while Carl Barat and Pete Doherty's entire output as the Libertines would appear to be based on unresolved issues between them, blurring the line between creative and sexual tension. The rivalry that seems to spur on the Gallagher brothers is, of course, something else entirely, but even there the conflict between two artistic (term used advisedly) individuals would appear to be the motor driving the band.

[Read the whole article]

Listen to "Europe is Our Playground" by Suede:

[Download the MP3 Here]

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)

The Libertines: Smashing (Unreleased)

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]

Babyshambles: Delivery (Radio Rip)

Listen:

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

Adam Green: What a Waster (Libertines Cover)

Listen:

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

Live Video:

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]

Yeti: Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder (Demo)

Listen:

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

Seven Ages of Rock: British Indie

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Part IV:

Part V:

Part VI:

Part VII:

Part VIII:

Part IX:

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.”

Pete Doherty: Lost Art of Murder (Live on Jonathan Ross)

Performance and Interview Pt. 1:

Interview Pt. 2:

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]

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]

The Freewheelin' Pete Doherty

"The Freewheelin' Pete Doherty" is a compilation I put together using the best bits of the "Shaken and Withdrawn Megamix". My goal was to create a genuine Pete Doherty folk record. I think it turned out pretty well, so I thought I would repost it (it was originally featured on Timeforheroes.net in 2004).

Here's the tracklisting:
Albion
Can't Stand Me Now
Killamangiro
Back from the Dead
Don't Look Back into the Sun
Ha Ha Wall
Blackboy Lane
Hooray for the 21st Century
Conversation Diva
Pipey McGraw
East of Eden
The Whole World is our Playground
Darling Clementine
The Ballad of Grimaldi
There She Goes (A Little Heartache)

[Download The Session as a .zip file]

Dead Flowers Now Hosting Pete's Latest Acoustic Session (Repost)

Dead Flowers, blessed with gigabytes to burn, is pleased to offer Pete Doherty's latest acoustic session, the "Stookie + Jim Bumfest Demos". Terrible name, great collection of songs.

Tracklist:
1.There she goes (a little Heartache)
2.Crumb begging baghead
3.New love grows on trees
4.Unbilotitled
5.Unstookietitled
6.Carry on up the morning
7.Cuckoo 1440
8.Delivery
9.A fool there was

Listen to "Delivery":

[Download the MP3 Here]

[Download The Session as a .rar file]
[Use Winrar to unpack the file]

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!"

A Young Pete Doherty

In My Head, I'm a Rock Journalist

If only because it was collecting dust on my hard drive, I thought I would post excerpts from my rejected 33 1/3 book proposal for The Libertines' "Up the Bracket". Let me know what you think.

Outline:
“Up The Bracket” is simultaneously brilliant and flawed. It represents both a fulfillment of a musical vision and a dashing of hopes. It’s romantic, conflicted, and downright hostile at times.

While early reviews of the album focused on Buzzcocks and Clash comparisons, Pete Doherty is, to me, the true heir to Morrissey and Marr. Carl Barat was his foil; their relationship, reminiscent of that found in “The Severed Alliance”, created the tension seemingly required for British rock groups to reach their creative peak.

I would cover the band from their transformation into “The British Strokes” (a move largely orchestrated by their manager Banny), through the recording and promotion of “Up the Bracket”, and conclude with the night that Pete broke into Carl’s flat: the effective end of the band’s “Arcadian Dream”. Along the way, I’ll discuss how Pete and Carl's tumultuous relationship, the secret gigs, and the outlandish interviews. I’ll put all this in the context of the complex mythology Pete created for himself and the group both in his private diaries (The Books of Albion) and in his half-brilliant/half-delusional message board posts on thelibertines.org forum. This mythology revolved around, among other things, a utopia named “Arcadia”, a ship the band and their fans would sail to this utopia (the Albion), and the sense that he and others were part of a musical community without traditional borders.

Listen to "Up the Bracket" (Live on Lamacq):

[Download the MP3 Here]

In addition, I would like to do a song-by-song breakdown of the album, giving special focus to key songs like “Time for Heroes”, “Horrowshow”, and “The Good Old Days”. At its best, the album is philosophical, poetic, energized, and emotionally unbridled. The tenderness of Pete’s melodies and sentiments, and how they contrast with the guitar attack of Barat and the rock-solid rhythm section of Gary Powell and John Hassal, will also be discussed. As I described it in one review, “The truth is there's never been a British band quite like the Libertines. Where you expect them to thrash through a song, they turn surprisingly sensitive. Where sweetness might be more fitting, Barat, Doherty, Hassal and Powell pummel the song into submission. It's like Morrissey and Marr hired a Motown rhythm section and decided to form a Sex Pistols cover band.”

"Up the Bracket" live on Jools:

What my 33 1/3 book would not concentrate on, unlike most recent literature on Doherty, would be his excessive drug use. By his own account, his crack use began during the recording of “Up the Bracket”. But at least at this time, his drug consumption was a means to an end, not the crippling and sad addiction that it would later become. The goal of this approach would be to avoid confusing Pete’s inherent talent with drug-fuelled delusions; this was the moment just before he spiraled out of control, just before his antics overshadowed his art.

Favorite 33 1/3 Book:
My favorite book in the 33 1/3 series is Bill Janowitz’s “Exile on Main St”. Besides speaking knowledgeably about the arrangements and the recording process, he gives the reader a strong sense of the mythology behind the record and the effect that it has had on successive generations. Even if the mythology is ultimately an illusion, as Janowitz suggests, there is a sort of bittersweet resignation to the power of the legend. There is a sense that even though he was deceived by it, he would fall for it all over again if could. That’s the lasting appeal of the best rock records. “Up the Bracket” by The Libertines definitely falls into this category, and therefore deserves its own book in the 33 1/3 series.

The most fitting way I can end this proposal is with a quote from my live review:

“What in the end, then, draws people to The Libertines? Perhaps it's because through the fog of the pipe, through the throng of hangers-on and opportunists, one can make out some sliver of truth. And maybe love for The Libertines is somehow a form of nostalgia; nostalgia for that sliver of truth that one knows can't last long...and must someday soon disappear forever.”