The Libertines (US)
Greatest Hits
By Jillian Abbene
(SugarBuzz Wash DC/Richmond)
SugarBuzz Magazine
Dug in the same groove with bands like Radio Birdman, Agent Orange and even The Replacements, The Libertines US have been around for some time. [Note: not to be confused with the younger indie bloods of The Libertines from the UK.] Although they may not have received the recognition they deserved in the past, this CD entitled with the obvious, “Greatest Hits,” could very well be the comeback ticket for these old-schoolers. Melodic punk with post-punk slants in reverb garage-guitar echoes always takes me back down to the road of nostalgia. Appealing airlifting and driving rhythms intricates layering guitar riffs that are thwarted into a great melancholic reverence.
For openers, ‘Bad Memories Burn,’ starts off with 21 spanning years of The Libertines crammed into 21 tracks. In steady cadence, there is a condensed palette of expedience in guitar rhythm and stringing melody that has even the drums pounding out mounds of energy. Guitar jangles in wild-west style lingers a post-punk jam that carouses then stands still as if frozen in time.
Jumping into, ‘Frosted Glass,’ swaddled melody sequences with quad-drumbeat turnovers, making this a really great song. Although there is less melodic crooning, I am strictly sold on the equal measures of Walt’s vocals and Jimmy’s twiddling guitar banter. Streaming into focus, ‘Fire Truck,’ is a catchy forefront song. Lined with guitar-picking refinery, allows the plot to just open wide enough for Randy’s bass to break through. Cleverly written in melancholic longing, the song is then released from bondage with one lonely guitar strum in the end….nice.
Changing notations on the next song, ‘Something In The Water,’ offers a resurrected heavy, with hyped up rippled beats from Greg as Walt continues to persevere on passioned crooning abilities. The M8 blows in and kicks up a cloud of melody while Walt pulls out all the vocal stops which leave me impressed by the unpredictability of the song. Steadily plowing deeper into the CD, ‘Black Garage Door,’ is salvaged from all things 60’s with a pop-punk motif. From the echo-guitar-fuzz built in to the elemental meanderings of the post-punk haze, tribal drums join in the well-placed groan-growls ending the roll-out with rattling distant echo guitar screeches. Exuding such shine, The Libertines US show off this song best.
Honorable mention goes to, ‘Her,’ although is a cautionary riffs, has harder vocals, and ‘Mile High Marker,’ plugs in two M8’s successioning one, rolling right into the other, closing in with a nearly never-ending. ‘Gears,’ with a steady drum roll and a 2/4 stitched time, switches in gears on itself, including vocal belt-outs as the guitar faintly screams into the background.
Everything that is consistent shows up in, ‘Wild Ride,’ that has the streaming rhythm, pasted vocals on guitar sloping, and a one-note reverb fade-out concluding that this song ends the CD beautifully.
It is obvious that much thought and heart went into these songs to produce such a solid and consistent 21 tracker. ‘Greatest Hits,’ one by one, elements with equal contributions that had been remained undated in the punk repertoire in the early years, still holds true now.