Waterloo To Anywhere

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The premature nova that shattered London's expectation-doomed Libertines in their prime may have been a blessing in catastrophe drag. Despite a penchant for press-baiting, chemically induced career and personal immolation, ex-Libs frontman Pete Doherty and new band Babyshambles delivered the arty, brilliant <i>Down In Albion</i> while guitarist Carl Barat's new outfit largely gets back to basics here, arguably picking up his former band's charged, punk-pop gauntlet in the bargain. Barat bristles with contempt on "Bang Bang You're Dead," a poison-pen note aimed straight at former bandmate Doherty that comes complete with a snarky intro redolent of a New Orleans-style jazz funeral. DPT showcases similar trash-thrash charm on "Gin and Milk" and "You F*****g Love It," while "If You Love a Woman" distills decades of garage-punk angst into three minutes of glory. But Barat and DPT are about more than energetic spasms: the moody dancehall vibe of "The Gentry Cove" recalls similar Doherty fixations on <i>Albion</i>, while the schizoid scorcher "The Enemy" and blistering broadside "Doctors and Dealers" wrestle with demons real or imagined.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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