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UP THE BRACKET
The Libertines
(Rough Trade/EMI)
The cover of The Libertines' debut album, with its silhouetted line of riot police, reminds you a bit of an old Clash record. Supposedly that's no coincidence -- we hear former Clash guitarist Mick Jones, who produced Up the Bracket, insisted on the cover art, presumably as a way of passing the punk torch to these heavily hyped Londoners.
Doubtless The Libertines were suitably chuffed -- but after sampling Up the Bracket, it's tough not to feel Jonesy might have been overstating things a tad. Granted, the snarling grit and rebellious passion of Strummer and co. are evident in tracks like the title cut, Horrorshow and Tell the King, while the laissez-faire confidence and ramshackle adventurousness that run throughout the album are slightly reminiscent of Sandinista!-era Clash (though frankly, one of the band's two singer-guitarists sounds far more like The Kinks' Ray Davies than he does Joe or Mick).
Ultimately, though, The Libertines have less in common with the punk gods of London Calling than they do with the rock stars of New York's Strokes. Thanks to their sloppy-choppy guitars, two-step punk beats, lazy-hazy vocals and crash-bash drums -- not to mention their unkempt looks and perfectly tousled hair -- these blokes are likely destined to dominate the garage-rock ranks this year just as Julian Casablancas and his pals did last year.
Whether anybody remembers them next year -- or wants to borrow their cover art a generation from now -- is a whole 'nother story.
Track Listing
1. Vertigo
2. Death On The Stairs
3. Horrow Show
4. Time For Heroes
5. Boys In The Band
6. Radio America
7. Up The Bracket
8. Tell The King
9. The Boy Looked At Johnny
10. Begging
11. The Good Old Days
12. I Get Along
13. What A Waster