can't stand me now

In a relationship reminiscent of the magical alchemy of Lennon and McCartney, Pete Doherty and Carl Barat joined forces to create a fresh sound and inject some much-needed energy into the early 21st century British rock scene. Originally lumped in with the 'garage rock revival' groups including the Strokes, Hives, Vines and White Stripes, the Libertines soon proved themselves to be a different animal altogether. While Barat put forth a raw, punk vibe, Doherty tempered it with a pop sensibility and a keen way with words. They rounded out the group with bassist John Hassall and settled on drummer Gary Powell, who had a jazz background that shone through in his on-point precision. Their chemistry as songwriters attracted the Clash's Mick Jones, who agreed to try and tame the beast that was the Libertines and produce their first album. Reportedly, he just put them in the studio and pushed record in an effort to capture the sound of their shambolic live shows. Equal parts hip mod rock, spitting punk rock and beautifully unhinged britpop, they appealed to a wide variety of audiences who helped their debut album Up the Bracket reach a respectable #35 on the British album charts. But commercial success was less a measure of their renown as concert attendance and media attention were. As they continued to play sell-out shows to feverish crowds, NME magazine, the foremost British music authority, named them Best New Band of 2003 and Best UK band of 2004 and 2005. With their growing popularity, Doherty, who had been dabbling in drugs, soon found himself in the depths of addiction as Barat, eager to capitalize on the band's repute and finish some new material, grew frustrated with his friend. They argued, fought and separated like quarrelsome lovers throughout the recording of their second album, a self-titled release again produced by Mick Jones that reached the top of the UK charts, before slowly dissolving the band to pursue new musical ventures. Doherty formed Babyshambles and became a tabloid fixture while Barat and Powell formed Dirty Pretty Things. Both bands are good and representative of Pete and Carl's respective tastes and styles but I still wish the two could've gotten along well enough to continue as Libertines.

Up the Bracket is a prime example of the musical connection between the two guys. Songs like "death on the stairs" and "time for heroes" from the debut album are a testament to the potential that was regrettably never fully realized. Filled with ebbing lyrics and flowing melodies, you can hear how well Pete and Carl complement each other. And like a heady lager rising to the edge of a pint glass before spilling and making a mess on the bar, "horror show" is two and a half minutes of roiling distortion and ringing cymbals brimming with ardent delight. Their beatitude is also evident on "vertigo" as the two compete for lead vocal duties, haphazardly slurring in cockney slang that's punctuated by crisp snare cracks. “Tell the king” finds the boys in a thoughtful state, wondering aloud about the complexity of relationships. Many tracks in fact touch on this subject with lyrics suggesting the love/hate symbiosis between Doherty and Barat. “The good old days” almost sounds like a warning or even a death-march toward certain doom as Pete blurs the words and sings,

If you’ve lost your faith in love and music
Oh the end won’t be long
Because if it’s gone for you then I too may lose it
And that would be wrong

I've tried so hard to keep myself from falling
Back into my bad old ways
And it chars my heart to always hear you calling
Calling for the good old days
Because there were no good old days
These are the good old days

That’s an astute observation for a young man on a first album and on paper, the lyrics just might come off as celebratory when in fact, they're cynical and pessimistic. Too, the tone of the accompanying music is anything but joyful. There’s an impending sense of ruin or adverse and unavoidable fate that implies that they knew, even then, that these were the “good old days” and that their relationship was already too damaged to repair. It’s sad to think that they may have actually resigned themselves to this and given up on each other before the album was even released. Imagine what could’ve been… Maybe it was for the best.

LISTEN TO UP THE BRACKET IN ITS ENTIRETY