Up The Bracket was the debut album from The Libertines- a four piece post-punk revival band from London. They made their name playing in various bars around London, most noticeably Filthy Macnasty's Whiskey Cafe in Islington.
The album is definitely my favourite of all time and is awash with clever lyrics, distorted guitar riffs, screaming and shouting. The opening track, Vertigo, is a mixture of all of this and throws you right in the mood for the rest of the album. The sound is hectic and fierce but never unprofessional. There is definitely an element of The Clash in the sound and this isn't surprising due to the fact it was produced by Mick Jones. At 39 minutes long, it is a relatively short album but even if it were an hour long, I think it would still seem too short.
In my opinion the highlight of the album is Time For Heroes. It immediately invites you into the song with the opening line; 'Did you see the stylish kids in the riot?' and throughout is filled with altered idioms such as; 'I'm sunken with pride'. Other noteworthy tracks include; Up the Bracket, Death on the Stairs and I Get Along. Lyrically, the album is nothing short of genius and the voices of the two singers match each other with their opposite behaviours: Barāt being a kind of mumbling, soothing character and Doherty a slurring, passionate maniac.
It's clear from the lyrics of some songs that the writers have a variety of influences. From Vertigo you'll hear the line 'Lead pipes, your fortune's made'- a reference to Tony Hancock's TV show Hancock's Half Hour. And on What A Waster, with it's obscene lyrics, lists various books such as The Unabridged Ulysses. It's not just limited to influence however and they also write about personal experience such as their relationship (which gained notoriety), their aspirations and society in general.
In my view, six of the albums thirteen tracks would instantly get any listener's feet tapping, there is, however, a good blend of fast paced and slow tracks to suit everyone. It defined a genre with its making, a genre which soon became known as 'Indie'. You can hear jangly, distorted guitar riffs in most bands nowadays. To draw a comparison with Sgt. Peppers or London's Calling in terms of popularity would be silly, but not in terms of impression. When I first heard it I was blown away at how rapidly paced some of the tracks were, the rhyming in some songs and the random screaming from both singers (something I had never heard on an album before), which just seemed to work and added to their image, once described as a trashy Beatles, with their black mop-top haircuts, leather jackets and torn jeans. If I could describe this album in a few words it would have to be blissful carnage.
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Can Up the Bracket, the debut album from London dandies The Libertines live up to the ... more
hype? Sure, they walk the walk: it's hard to see how four doe-eyed indie dreamboats with greasy hair, cider-stained leather jackets and a wide-eyed mythology that pla...
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Advantages: A truly stunning album, with a definite swagger and personality. Melodic, very energetic. Disadvantages: Preconceptions will mean that some people miss out. Ignore them.
Advantages: A truly stunning album, with a definite swagger and personality. Melodic, very energetic. Disadvantages: Preconceptions will mean that some people miss out. Ignore them.
Advantages: Great melodies; some excellent lyrics; mainly good vocals; lots of energy; drumming; invention Disadvantages: Lack of consistency; some of the experimentation doesn't come off
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