Reviews (page 4 of 7)
I didn’t think this was too bad, and actually kind of liked it. Not sure that I’ll listen to it again, but if it popped up somewhere, I wouldn’t mind it. It’s the definition of a three star album for me.
Mushy emo poppy schlock
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Libertines and this reminds me of student clubs with sticky floors, and probably purple stains on shirts from drinking snakebites. The album itself has not aged super well, compared to some of their contemporaries like Arctic Monkeys and Strokes, it's not as good. Pete Doherty can't really sing but the music has a strong vibe of British punk bands which gives the songs a nice punchy feel. Some good tracks and some forgettable ones. I prefer Up The Bracket to this one but it's decent
I've listened to this album quite a lot as a kid, one of the many CDs my dad just sort of let available for me to burn onto my computer. Before I listened to so much music that my big shuffle folder went beyond insane for even a big music listener, I had maybe 15-20ish albums that I would always hear a few songs every other day or so: The Cars was one of them. And man oh man,. does this album have hooks for days. So many hooks, it's impossible to not hear this album and not have something linger in your head for at least a week. The Cars came at the right musical year of 1978: when the initial wave of punk rock is starting to distillate into a post-punk world, The Cars approached the crossroads of old school rock and roll and the emerging new wave/synthesizer driven music that was to become a big force beyond the disco era. They managed to combine both avenues like how Roxy Music approached glam pop with progressive rock, and make it work. The Cars were one of the big bands of the late 70s (and to very specifically note, again, not the 80s just yet) to make pop rock work with synthesizers to such a degree that it still has that futuristic sound that they went for. Almost ageless, if you don't notice the partially sarcastic lyrics from songs that became used in so many commercials that the sarcasm has been scratched away. In short, The Cars is a solid pop-rock album that helped define New Wave in its infancy. Still sounds great, has its legacy, yadda yadda yadda.
good album
fine but forgettable
Didn't care then. Don't care now.
I think for a spell I really did believe the Libs were the most important band of a generation. Worryingly, I sort of stand by it. And this is definitely their signature record, with most of the greats on here. They're at their best, for me, when they're a bit more spiteful and harsh than on the ones (What Katy Did) where they lean a little into Chas and Dave for my tastes. But still, a really cultural touchstone that has a lot more musical chops than they get credit for. Viva Barat and Our Pete.
It didnt get me goin. Not bad like a lot of others but nothing that grabs me. 2.5.
Same old same old. Same guitar tones and riffs. Same lyrics. This list could be broken down to about 20 albums. Also the pathetic attempt at heroin chic on the cover. I wish I could give less than one. Pfui.
I don't like any reference, casual, ironic, aside, statement about the Holocaust in fucking pop music, period. And this whole thing, these miserable entitled people, this dreadful music. The fact they have this ridiculous level of recognition and publicity, represents everything I loathe about the nasty bourgeois tendencies of pop music. The twats that wrote about this band saw themselves in the louche miscreants swanning around with their miserable drug habits. Makes me feel ill.
I was an avid and regular reader of the NME in the early 90s when I worked in a record store. Mind you, I was in Australia, so the NME was about 8 weeks old by the time the sea-freight copies made their way to me. It did allow a perspective of both time and distance on the UK's weekly music press and their tendency to hype new and "exciting" bands. Sometimes, nay often, they turned out to be crap. I hold the NME most culpable for this trend, of whom The Libertines are only the most dramatic example. I had lost interest and close following of new bands by the 2000s, but even I was aware of the Libertines' reputation and the tabloid frenzy around their lives. High drama indeed! But I cannot say that I have ever knowingly heard one of their songs until today. This from the NME's self-congratulatory review of this album: "NME put them on the cover before their first single had even been released (and The Libertines have returned the compliment, using one of our shots on the sleeve of ‘The Libertines). Excuse us for gloating but it’s important to note how many other people didn’t get it. ... The only problem was the danger the drama would overshadow the music, but, for a band like The Libertines, the two are bound together inextricably." They had clearly lost perspective; this music is tossed-off rubbish, completely overwhelmed by the drama, that the NME themselves had hyped up from the very beginning. ! And, man, this is a pretty crap record. It's underwritten, poorly played and sung, and largely uninspired. Mick Jones' production makes their hazy sloppiness sound vaguely intentional, but this is just really bad. Clearly, the Libertines' artistic medium was their celebrity, not their music. This was the way culture was going, but eventually celebs could become famous simply for being famous without the pretense of some other medium (in this case, music) as a vehicle for their expression. I think the world would be a better place if Pete Doherty and Carl Barât had eschewed releasing records and just stuck to tabloid fame; that would be easier for me to ignore. What a turgid and morally bankrupt industry, selling us shit and telling us it is caviar. You can fuck right off
Post Punk Indy Rock. 4 stars.
-i don’t dislike this. there may be something vaguely annoying / kitschy about it but it’s fun. nothing revolutionary as far as garage rock goes imo but it kinda creates its own aesthetic -Favorites: Don’t Be Shy, The Man Who Would Be King
Good. Not great.
A suitable replacement for this me too band would be Ren.
This sounds like the music of my teenage years. Even though this came out when I was 6 years old. It just has that quality of british bands I was obsessed with at 15, like the 1975 and Scouting for Girls. Obviously this is a much cooler, more punk version. But I think it's the perfect grown up teenage album. It's new to me but evokes the feelings I loved from music when I was in high school I really enjoy this! I don't think it's the best album I've ever heard, the voices can get quite grating. But I still think it's quite good.
Fine listen, not necessarily something I'm compelled to revisit. Important historically as an exampel of the early 2000s garage rock revival from the UK end.
Indie sleaze has a special place in my heart. This one is ok, the Strokes are better. But Can’t Stand Me Now is a classic though.
perfect, i was just thinking that the garage rock revival albums on this list could use a lousy singer with the worst accent on god's green earth (english)
A complete surprise. I enjoyed this Brit rock-was like the Clash. For the record, I’m not a big fan of Brit rock-except for the Clash and now the Libertines.
This is punk-adjacent indie rock, and they sound very nostalgic for The Clash at times. But there is a splash of new wave here too, and some more mainstream brit-rock creeping in (also some errant horns and harmonica!). The vocals are...bad? I'm sure they work when mixed down on stage, but it's hard to hide in the studio. All in all, this is kind of a choppy experience and you never know what the next track will give you. Some tracks, like "Music When The Lights Go Out" can't seem to pick a tempo to last 3 minutes and vacillate back and forth between frenetic and meandering. If Carl & Pete's relationship was the same way, it's no wonder they broke up. Part of my thinks I would have enjoyed this if I heard it in 2006, but I don't think it would have made it into my CD rotation for the same reasons it won't today. But I probably would have seen them live. “Can’t Stand Me Now” - The big hit, based on the Spotify streams. A solid, slightly new wave, opening track with a surprise harmonica appearance in the outro. "Don't Be Shy" - Nobody should write songs with high notes that they can't hit. Especially in the chorus. "What Katie Did" - even on this rollercoaster, I didn't expect a 'shoo wop' song.
Normally this is my genre, but this just isn't it...
This album has a couple good tracks, but nothing I would come back to.
One of the most 3/5 albums ever. Quite decent but I’ll never remember it. And whaddya know the global ratings’s a perfect 3.
Not as good as Up the Bracket, but enjoyable. Standout songs The man who would be king Narcissist Road to Ruin
theres way too much disposable indie rock on this list
2.6
Oh man, I really did not enjoy this.
Not sure I needed to hear this. I dig the energy but the songs aren't very good.
2.5
I enjoyed this, some great songs not sure why I haven’t listened to the album before now
A band for whom I was very much present for the hype; the music press 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 of the depravity porn than The Libertines provided. I'm not going to judge the music by Pete Doherty's sad drug problems or the obsession with his and Carl Barat's tumultuous relationship but I do believe the relentless column inches drove far more attention their way than the tunes deserved. The early-noughties version of engagement bait, if you will. And so, the tunes. Could they find catchy little guitar hooks? Occasionally, sure. Did they turn those into consistently decent complete songs? Seldom. Can't Stand Me Now is the closest they came on this LP, which was somehow recorded in between Carl and Pete having fist fights, Pete being strung out on smack, burgling Carl's flat and subsequently doing time in prison. But they muddle through thirteen more really-quite-average garage rockers without much in the way of technical proficiency or lyrical nuance. I can absolutely forgive a lack of ability - tunes teased out of instruments played with passion before young, keen bandmembers quite know what they're doing - fine by me if they're good tunes. But I don't even really hear many tunes being teased out here and I wonder how much of the teasing is thanks to Mick Jones' presence in the studio. While I may well have been caught bopping once or twice to Can't Stand Me Now or the criminally non-album-despite-being-recorded-around-the-same-time, Don't Look Back Into The Sun (easily the best Libertines song ever made), I never quite boarded the bandwagon in 2002 and I'm not particularly tempted to now. I get why it's here but I don't really need it in my life these days.
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: What Katie Did Middling at best. It's like a toned down Arctic Monkeys; I'd rather just listen to them instead.
How about piss off? I’ve had it with these fucking mid-2000s British “indie rock staples”, they all sound like a bunch of ‘lads’ fucking about with some instruments they found. I’m convinced that’s all they are, swept up by supposed critics of the day and ushering in an odd mass psychosis where the British public were content with having this sloppy wank marketed as their main musical export. While the US was busy expanding on its 1960s psychedelia with “New Weird America”, we were expanding on, I don’t know, fucking skiffle? This can be summed up simply as Radio 6 music. If you’re not familiar, that’s the radio station that does occasionally play good music, but for at least 75% of the time plays music for middle aged dads who are still pretending they’re still in their prime of life in the 1990s ‘rave scene’. The bloke on the front cover looks too much like Neil Oliver for my liking, in fact the whole cover is just horrible, the track titles are shit, especially fucking Arbeit macht frei, because haha we’re making light of the slogan adorning humanity’s most abhorrent atrocity, and the music itself is just shit. It’s shit! I can’t even see how you’d enjoy this. I thought I’d give it a chance at least, but no. After track three, Jesus Christ, track fucking three. If it wasn’t for the sake of the list I’d laugh and turn it off immediately. Nowhere near as genuinely offensive on the ears as some of its contemporaries, but just so aggressively shit that it doesn’t deserve much recognition over them.
An enjoyable entry from a very narrow genre (2000s indie rock where the singer has a notable British accent). I didn't like this as much as I enjoy the Arctic Monkeys, but I did like it!
I didn't like his voice so not my favorite
Their second album. Indie Rock. I went to their early gigs and had a great time. They had really good energy. Can't Stand Me Now is a good track to open with. From there I liked the pace of the album. It's cheeky and punchy with some gritty lyrics. I like The Ha Ha Wall too. Also, imagine going to your record label in 2025 with Arbeit Mach Frei on your album. Decent album although I prefer Up The Bracket.
This album was a pretty good punk album, especially for something more modern. It didn't bowl me over, but it was fun and easy to listen to.
Pretty bland? I mean it's not terrible but also not great. Why can we have this but no Tool? 3/5
The fuck is this
I just cannot bear this flimpsy pop rock
Incredibly generic guitar rock. Not sure why this is on the list.
Shaped me. Still as raw and beautiful as the day of release.
ok
Specifičan slučaj gdje mi se nijedna pjesma ne sviđa spektakularno, a nijedna mi se ne ne sviđa? Odličan album sveukupno, pogotovo za ljude koji više vole ovakvu muziku.
This was pretty good, good band, good british rock.
You can hear why the Libertines were a cut better than the rest of the landfill era bands. It might not have aged as well as it could, but the story telling shines through. Brings back a lot of memories but by no means a seminal release. Low 4 out of 5
Only a few songs landed with me.
There is a ramshackle, off kilter charm to the Libertines, whether they are delivering an adrenaline fuelled anthem or a more nostalgic, sweet song. I love the harmonies, I think both Karl and Pete have very interesting voices that sound unique together. It’s rare to have two vocalists share equal billing. I do wonder why they received such an extreme backlash from beard stroking music fans at the time. The fact that they were unlikeable tabloid fodder can’t have helped, with their celebrity getting in the way of their music. Listening back, this is a very well turned out record, lots of fun, with plenty of exciting detail that pops (brilliant little asides) and huge, amped up melodies. They know how to write a song! Perhaps I should take the fact that the kids were loving it and grown ups were groaning as proof that they were doing something interesting and different. If I was to find one flaw in this beautiful collection of songs it would be the sequencing of the back half of the record. The album keeps feeling like it’s about to end with too many tracks feeling very “final.”
Enjoying Libertines more than I expected, feels like a solid 3 to me
An album for bros you don't see eye to eye with. Sprinkle some Kinks on a layer of smiths and you have the valentines
Ok alt rock.
point4.
after a day, don't remember this any more at all.
Some of these tracks think a bit too much that they're Saying Something. But in general it's a punky kinda vibe that you can just relax and listen to in the background. I like "Road to Ruin." The good parts outweigh my annoyance at the attempted importance.
Maso
its fine. nothing super noteworthy
I forget if this is good or bad... enjoyed but nothing stuck with me. For numerologists, 650/1001
Groupe inconnu. J'apprécie assez le son, avec les guitares en stéréo qui jouent des parties différentes. Par contre la basse est plutôt inexistante, et le chant est omniprésent. Les morceaux sont assez dynamiques et entrainants, mais ... il manque quelque chose pour me donner envie d'y revenir : probablement la basse ... qui m'avait vraiment fait apprécier 'Is this it' des Strokes. J'ai fini par m'ennuyer au milieux de l'album. =>2/5
Im on a work trip and been ticking this week's albums off. Just finished the libertines. I'd say it wore thin quite quickly. Worth hanging on for What became of the likely lads at the end though.
I’ve mostly avoided this band because I find Pete Doherty to be a complete tool. Having listened to this, I have no regrets. Can’t Stand Me Now is a brilliant song though and rest of the album suffers horrible by trying to follow it. 2 but only because of the opener.
16/09/2025 I've never given the Libertines a go because I just didn't think it would be my thing. It isn't really, but i thought this was alright.
Nothing special. It's not bad, but very much the perfect example of an absolutely ho-hum album.
Temu Pulp?
who likes this
Never heard of them. So to me they are underrated
It was fun. Reminded me of the Clash a bit but not quite as good. Certainly worth a listen.
no voihan saatana. en nyt tässä vaiheessa rupee ykkösiä heitteleen ympäriinsä koska muuten ei tule lopussa objekitve 3 tasan mutta ei herranjumala kyllä pistetään hermot piukalle meikällä kärsimys ei ilmeisesti KOSKAAN lakkaa.. tehdään british indie rock albumi ja todistetaan pätevyys heh. english rock lets go.ta, mikään tässä ei erota bändiä massiivisesta indieklöntistä joka ilmeisesti vittu kirosi länsimaalaisen musiikin ikuiseen keskinkertaisuuteen. haista vittu. clickbait motherfuckers.. rock pop indie monsteri.. vittuau,, auhts , miks painetta,, miks päässä painetta.. ai , aijaijai,, aistaaatana.. A tomblands
Sort of interesting
I dunno, I thought they were interesting enough to let Spotify run and play me other stuff.
Meh. Reminds me of Arctic Monkeys a bit.
I read that the British press dubbed these guys the “most important band of their generation” pretty quickly after their debut album (this is their second album, for reference.) It sounds like there’s some historical lineage connecting these guys to people who worked with the Beatles, the Clash, Oasis, etc. That lineage seems to have created a hype train that, to my ears, made critics more forgiving to the flaws. This sounds pretty generic. It’s fine, but it doesn’t sound appreciably different or elevated over a couple dozen other bands from that stretch in the 2000s where New York & UK garage punk revival took over rock music. Whenever there’s a wave like that, it can be hard to know in the moment who is going to last and who is going to be a footnote. The Libertines are clearly a footnote, at least on the back of this album.
The perfect embodiment of a 3-star album. 7/10.
This is a great snotty rock record, rife with swagger and longing. The rare UK tabloid fodder rock that actually delivered on the hype.
It sounds like the Kinks crossed with Pavement, with a very British aesthetic performed in an entirely ramshackle, tossed-off style. (Except they’re drunk and taking the piss in the basement practice space — which, judging from the lore surrounding this band, may have been the case.) On paper, I should be drawn to this. But while it has its moments, I mostly do not grok.
Yet another "its fine" record that somehow has elevated status in the UK for reasons I dont understand.
Kinda feeling that The Libertines were a great singles band, and, variably, a great live band, but that the albums don't quite reach the heights (and this is not as good as Up The Bracket anyway). Still, a fun snapshot of 2000s indie. 3.5
didn’t know this band. enjoyed it!
catchy, not too bad
I was definitely in the ‘overhyped’ group back in the day. I had this album and liked it. Then now I go back and compare it to a lot of the list and think it stands up well for all its slightly shambolic feel it’s lyrically and musically good. Maybe there was something about the hype.
Ok
I liked this band better when they were called The Strokes. Not much here stood out. 2/5
Definitely overrated. Heard their 2024 release before this one, enjoyed it, then listened to this one. Couldn’t believe it was the same band.
actually liked this a lot even though i didn't know the band or songs before!!
Ok
I can stomach Britpop, but this indie landfill straight from the UK is far too much. It exists and then ceases to exist once you finish "listening" to it. It simply is.
Not too bad really... I could listen to it again honestly
Pedestrian Lad Rock dressed up as poetic rebellion. Narcissists indeed. One star for the sentiment of 'Arbeit...'.
I managed to swerve this at the time. It's good to separate the headlines and hype from the music itself. Time has treated the Libs well. This is a great British pop album. Full of swagger, with a soap opera thrown in. The Morcambe and Wise of junkie pop.
The Libertines by The Libertines has to have the most early 2000's trying to be different looking cover I've ever seen. The music though was surprisingly good. It is not merely a product of it's time but holds up very well. The sound just works
They have matching 'libertine' tattoos they really do love each other ❤️❤️
Very interesting, I think its quite unique, I would compare it to the early Arctic Monkeys, but this came before, so maybe they were inspired by these guys. I really like the simple guitar lines, which are catchy, which this has a lot of, especially in the second half for some reason. The vocals are aright, great in places, but quite repetitive and annoying in some others. It also has some punk elements and inspirations, I think guitar wise. There's also that straight punk song, which is good. Favourite songs: can't stand me now, music when the lights go out, the ha ha wall, Arbeit Macht Frei, campaign of hate, what Katie did, tomblands, the saga. Overall around 7/10
Grew on me a little over a couple of listens, but still didn't feel quite like it'd earned its spot on the list.
This reminds me of something I can't place. As far as turn of the century pop rock goes, this isn't bad. This could have gone on one of those early 2000s teen comedy soundtracks. It's like The Strokes lite. I like it so far. The political songs, Arbeit Mach Frei and Campaign of Hate, have some of the most ham-fisted lyrics I've ever heard...they make Tracy Chapman seem subtle.
Another in the pile of 1001 mediocre British turds Robert Dimery heard
It was okay, not my vibe really but like the instruments.
Why is it that whenever the Wikipedia article says that "This was declared one of the most important British Rock albums of all time" it's always some really generic bullshit that comes off as a total distillation of everything else going on around it while adding nothing new to the conversation? Really makes you think...
i thought this was fine. idk. i just kinda don't care. super grimy super british sleaze. awright then m8
inoffensive but underwhelming british indie/garage rock. for UK bands with this sound, i'd take franz ferdinand or arctic monkeys any day of the week, or the strokes if the colonies can get in on this. it's not bad music, but even after three (?) listens, none of the jangly guitars or pedestrian lyrics have wormed their way into my skull for any length of time. though the dudes in the band being in a tumultuous relationship is great. love wins/dudes rock, but sadly, even that won't save this incredibly average album. favorites: can't stand me now, the man who would be king, music when the lights go out, narcissist
Can see myself loving this in high school but not so much now.
Really good tunes, love the emo rock vibes on here. Will listen to again.
There are so many hip 90s British "man" bands that I deftly swerved during this time. A lot of people, including my brother, really rate them but I didnt really care. Listening to their album for the first time I would amend my opinion to say that the songs are catchy and nice to listen, but there is nothing new under the sun here. I cannot go higher than 3 stars for this o ne.
The visual is off-putting and the music is fine. 2.4.
I'm slightly embarrassed I enjoyed this as much as I did, because it sounds like any other early 00's alt rock. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 1/5
Gut, aber packt mich nicht
Absolute banger of a 2000's album. Has those soft rock vibes that are synonymous with this era of music. That said it didn't REALLY stand out to me.
They wear their influences in their sleeve. The album is a mish mash of many genres, from rock'n'roll to punk to country, but in the end I didn't find it very memorable. It's a good sounding album, the production is great, but all in all, halfway through I was bored. 2.5/5
Can’t Stand Me Now // The Ha Ha Wall // What Became of the Likely Lads
I'd never heard of this band but from the name I expected something a bit more. This is all bark and no bite. No edge. Very boring
How have I never heard this before?!?
The Libertines slipped under the radar - never heard of them until this listen. They’re impressive! This album is solid from start to finish; especially The Man Who Would Be King and Music When The Lights Go Out. They remind me of Artic Monks. Great selection for the 1001 Must Hear List.. (4.4*s) Will be checking out more of their albums.
I feel this album was a little lack luster. Pretty standard brit alt-rock. Why it makes the list, I can't say. Guess it was huge in the UK but I never heard of them. Not bad, not great. Giving it a right done the middle rating...2.5 stars.
Evidently I had run into this one in the past as I already had a couple songs off this album saved in my Spotify. I wasn't overly familiar but I can see why these were tagged by me. The Libertines bring a nice indie alt rock sound with the right amount of British flair, almost like the younger less successful brothers of Arctic Monkeys. Most of the songs are quick fun hits with easily digestible hooks. There's nothing overly special about it, but it worked for me for 40 minutes. 2.97 stars
I don't mind sloppy music. Sloppiness can make a ramshackle song sound more cathartic; if the energy is coming through, I don't mind if you miss a few notes. But this album is the bad kind of sloppy. As in, it sounds like the two guitarists aren't on the same page about which song they're playing. I do like the rawness and energy in places, but it's often hard to discern any kind of melody because one guitar is kind of trying to play some chords and the other is noodling over in the other channel. I'm not asking for this to be a pop album, but a catchy riff would be nice - even the garagest garage rock usually succeeds because it's catchy. It feels like the band thinks that rawness is enough to carry them despite the weak songwriting. Given that you hear nothing about this band's legacy or influence these days, I think it's clear that's not true.
53/1001 :: The Libertines - The Libertines Heard before? :white_check_mark: Would I revisit? :white_check_mark: Rating: 7 Fav Tracks: Can’t Stand Me Now, Music When The Lights Go Out, What Katie Did Listen before you die: Yes I haven’t listened to this album in a long time. I remember being really excited for this album when it dropped and all the madness swirling around the band at the time. I think people should listen to this before they die because there’s a chance this could be their favorite album of all time. It’s not mine but if you told me it was yours I get it. It’s messy but it’s fun, edgy, heartfelt, tender and fucking cool. Listening to it today I realized how Clash it was then looked at Wikipedia and discovered Mick Jones produced it. Which is pretty rad. Should be noted the Arctic Monkeys owe these boys a pint or two. They filled the a hole when the Libertines left but IMO I’m not sure they ever made an album this good…
Definitely a throwback feeling. Partial to these guys. Not their strongest, but you can't argue with What Katie Did and What Became of The Likely Lads...
Best song IMO: "What Katie Did"
Strong, driving drum beats. Solid.
No estaría entendiendo la relevancia de éste disco en la lista. Osea no es terrible ni malo te diría, pero salió cuando ya todo eso existía de hacía décadas. Nota: 2.4
I'm not a fan of the myth and mayhem surrounding Pete Doherty, and I hadn't really taken the time to listen to the Libertines. Objectively, I think this is a good album - care has been taken over the lyrics, the arrangements, the variety. The janglier numbers aren't to my personal taste (NY meets northern England?) and I didn't get carried away by the faster, punky stuff - better live, no doubt. What I enjoyed was the more melancholy moments. Clearly, their relationship was complex. A mixed bag of an album, but worthy of being in the 1001.
Solid, strokes-y britpop. Very enjoyable.
twinks are ok
If you enjoy the british Post-Punk sound this album might be something to check out but I am not really a fan of the genre so I cant say much
first listen super meh
boy, i really don't know what to make of this one. parts of it are pretty fun! parts of it are dreadful to listen to. this album is a little all over the place. clearly the attitude is the number one thing here, so it makes it a little hard to criticize, since i reckon the point wasn't to make beautiful music. they clearly don't give a shit. that doesn't mean that the rough-around-the-edges are great to listen to.
Emmm mha encantat.
Hepatites The Album. Yuck.
Oh, good. The cover looks like heroin-chic, circa Y2K. I'm sure this won't be a crude Stroke-alike. This follows my general feelings about Y2K indie. It's not that the music is terrible; it's fine. The problem I have is that, far from an album I must listen to before I die, this sounds just like the bands I used to listen to locally in bars in my early college years, just slightly different (in the way that different regional scenes develop different accents, for lack of a better analogy). This isn't better or worse than the local bands of college kids here in those years (I'm being insincerely polite; it's much less interesting). The argument would then go that this is the essence -- Pete Doherty and Carl Barat are the wellspring from which my college bands flowed. But you can trace this back to Elvis Costello pretty easily and farther if you want. Which is all to say that this music is part of a tradition, which is great! I honour that, I just don't particularly care about listening to it. This reminds of me of the La's, which isn't a compliment (and something I didn't think was possible). Again, this isn't offensive but I can't fathom what could be essential listening about this. It's emblematic of an entirely forgettable moment in music. Strokes > Arctic Monkeys > The Libertines and I think the Strokes are overrated and boring. If you think the Strokes are amazing, learn an instrument and see how quickly you're playing through their work. Twenty minutes, tops. A band that sort of existed alongside and transcended that moment was Coldplay and look how that turned out (musical wallpaper paste with sugar added). What this really does is demonstrate to me how creative and interesting the White Stripes were. They were similarly stripped down (only moreso) but did a much more interesting, authentic and skillful job of replicating early American rock & roll. That was the fucking blues, man. The White Stripes felt like anything could happen and Jack and Meg could back that up. With Pete Doherty, anything *could* happen but that just meant some dude getting thrown out a second floor window. Standouts: 'Music When The Lights Go Out'. If you like this, try listening to Nick Cave or Tom Waits instead. Or Rage. Or Herbie Hancock or Miles Davis or ... honestly, this project is probably for you -- there's real music out there, this just ain't it. 2/5
Alkuun hiukan epäileväinen, mutta epäilyt osottautui nopeasti vääriksi. Hyvällä tavalla monipuolinen ja erikoinenkin rock levy joka ottaa inspiraatiota monesta eri genrestä. On punkkia, humppaa ja kaiken maailman polkkaa. Ei siltikään ehkä suosikkeja, mutta tosi hyvä kuunneltava. Road To Ruin on kanssa varmasti ottanut inspiraatiota Miserlousta. Parhaat: What Katie Did, The Man Who Would Be King, Campaign Of Hate, The Ha Ha Wall
Joy. More 00s Indie. This one challenged me. There were ideas splashed here and there that could have worked, but nothing ever felt fully executed - making the songs, and by extension this album, weak and forgettable. I even gave it a second and third playthrough later in the day to see if I'd have an "aha moment", but alas, it actually got worse the more I listened. Maybe if they had implemented more structure and chorus to capitalize on the promising parts, this would have landed better. But as it is, it feels rather sloppy and, ultimately, unremarkable. Still, this is one of a very few albums from the 00s that I didn't outright hate, and the fact that I even bothered to listen to it three times says something... though perhaps more about my effort to be open-minded than the quality of this album, itself.
I’m impressed how instantly forgettable this was. I have no idea what I just listened to. Since I can’t remember it probably wasn’t that bad.
Forgettable but who am I to say no to some 2000s landfill indie? It was my gateway into punk, after all.
Just an average version of punk and new wave.
Bargain bin indie by a band who can't play. All most people remember of The Libertines was Pete Doherty sucking all the air out with his various drug addiction issue headlines. "Can't Stand Me Now" and "Don't Look Back Into The Sun" remain on regular rotation to this day though.
Second most overrated band of all time
Not a bad album, but there was nothing on there that I will really remember.
Raw and unpolished music can be fine, but it needs some charm to it and this did not.
**** It‘s good. Not all songs but enough.
Appalling
J - 3/5 Best Track - "Can't Stand Me Now"
‘Can’t stand me now’ aside - underwhelming. The noise in the music press at the time was that the libertines had revitalised and revolutionised music in the same way as the sex pistols did. In reality I think they were little more than a UK inspired.
Music was fine. Singing was not.
Couldn't do it. The singing was horrendous. 1 star.
Whilst never a particularly big fan (always too popular with the "oy oy, nawty ladz" crowd for my liking) it does make me nostalgic and wistful for a time when the UK wasn't totally shit. Bonus point for that.
Great
Not my taste, but they are obviously talented. I kinda liked the raw unpolished final product.
1) I am liking this song. I like that they are very openly British. I can't say it really builds and has a ton of emotional depth, but I really enjoy the harmonica at the end and it's a good background song for cleaning my room Lowkey I don't like this album But I'll try and tough it out
406/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Another generic indie album from the early 2000's. Another one that doesn't deserve the hype around it
I always feel like I'm going mad when I read all the middling reviews of this album and lukewarm enthusiasm for The Libertines in general. To me they're so obviously set apart from the other indie bands of the same era - the music is so intricate and urgent, and the content is so compelling in how it explores themes of youth and celebrity and companionship and shame, and well, the list goes on... Seeing them do a tepid mid afternoon slot at Glastonbury this year just broke my heart. Forever waiting for the day they get reclaimed by the music commentariat.
Strong 4. I listened to this a couple times through on Friday and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially Music When the Lights Go Out.
Had just vaguely heard of this band and quite liked it — listened to it twice over the weekend. A nice surprise.
I have a vague memory of them being so hyped when they came out, but I never got into them. Smart decision.
Начало раздражало из-за манеры пения, но где-то с середины начинаются интересные композиции. 6,5 из 10.
Not very familiar with The Libertines, I'm getting a the vibe that they were influenced by The Ramones, The Smiths and The Clash right up front. That's a pretty good place to start. Seeing them at a punk club seems like fun, but the lyrics, melodies and delivery don't make a huge impression on me. I keep hearing nods to different bands but I don't feel a strong impression of who the Libertines are. I think the phrase is, "no authentic voice", but maybe that's just 'cause I'm an old codger and everything old is new again.
I liked their sound
Extremely shallow throwback British pop rock that never gets out of first gear. Most of the songs sound the same and never offer a second idea once they start. Too long. Feels like a British version of The Strokes, culturally, where a certain generation of snooty music journalists REALLY want you to believe this is the greatest music of all time.
Pretty meh. The vocals were the toughest part, but the rough around the edges garage esthetic is also not for me. 2/5
Lots of drama with this album. But who cares.
Favorite Track: Music When The Lights Go Out
nicht mein Fall
I liked it. Sometimes really interesting Bass lines. I liked "don't be shy" and a couple of other songs
Knapp 20 Jahre alt, und schon ein Klassiker ;-) Wild, derb, ungehobelt, nicht zu bändigen - aber mit tollem Songwriting, das macht den Unterschied. Schön, dass Doherty die Kurze zu kriegen scheint.
Glam meets punk? These guys listen to showtunes backstage.
Sounded A LOT like early The Arctic Monkeys albums, very similar. Who copied who? Either way, not as good as them, but it was a fine album if you're into this genre.
This author's UK bias is clearly showing on this one.
Another fine indie-pop band. This one was in the vein of Camper Van Beethoven, with a little raw punk edge peaking through around the edges. Didn't get me past a 3, though.
Off-brand early AM. Worst Song: The Ha Ha Wall Best Song: Road to Ruin Added to Liked Songs: Road to Ruin
The most annoying album cover for a decent album. Fits squarely into 2000s Brit rock, but isn't offensive in any way. While no song stood out to me, the whole package was pretty good.
Better than I thought it would be
73/100.Doesn’t push the boundaries of its genre. It’s a solid dose of mid-2000s indie punk, effective in its way, but not overflowing with fresh ideas or sonic growth. The Libertines captures a moment. It's ragged, heartfelt, and unfiltered.
Think biggest surprise here was it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I was expecting. With Dohertys tabloid notoriety being kind of bigger than the music really have always avoided anything to do with them. It’s low fi garage rock revival, light and kinda fluffy, ok enough when on and enough to listen a few times, but then forgotten in the instance. It’s ok when I was expecting, well more? Just don’t see anything that super special here - but suppose every generation has its “hero’s” and they/this lands on that target with its mild catchiness and the wider social Image that Mr D in particular gained. Just music wise felt disposable. 3 Star
Actually really fun; vibrant and distinct from their contemporary peers. This one's going to stick in my library.
Rock muy británico tipo Blur, oasis etc.
This band’s claim to fame was how hard they fucked their careers because of their drug addiction. Honestly baffled why this was chosen for the list. Not bad enough to be notable, but nit good enough either. Just bog standard.
For me, best album so far. Some great songs, at times out of tune and rough around the edges but I guess that's the point.
I think there fun, very Rimbaud. I’m glad they exist nothing manufactured about them. I love the album cover heroine chic
Such a good album - 4.5
This is awful. Half of the songs do have good melodies but half of them are all over the place and they're all mostly ruined by the vocalist. Awful. Can't stand me now is the stand out song
Kind of British indie punk rock. Good
I know you Can’t Stand Me Now, but Don’t Be Shy and listen to this album.
Outside of a few songs, it's really not that notable. So much generic sounding, soft filler. I was never really into the Libertines at the time, but looking back I can confirm I really didn't miss out on much by avoiding the albums. There's precisely zero oomph to this. It seems to be going for a punk energy, so why does it sound so flat? The guitars are jangly but otherwise completely unremarkable. The vocals are really weak. Maybe it's the recording letting it down? I can't believe this is 42 minutes, I could have sworn it was well over an hour. Really boring.
It's like Arctic Monkeys but worse
Really like the soft part of music when the lights go out Since im not in the energetic mood it does not hit
This has grown. It's so sensual and pleading and warm. And fun and jangly. And the party keeps going on! Glad to see these guys are still out there playing.
The Libertines' second album is good but not great. Doherty and Barât writes some catchy tunes, but there's some imagination missing when comparing to their contemporaries in Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Editors, The Killers and so on.
The Libertines are not quite as good as some of their British contemporaries, but they’re still a joy. They just miss that one key component that really makes them stand out.
Den her genre er bare ikke for mig. Jeg har allerede glemt samtlige numre igen
Guitaren lød super fed!
Fine
Fitting title for a day when liberty feels in short supply.
Loved a couple of songs like The Saga and What Katie did but was pretty long and not exactly my thing
Jeg har sikkert likt dette en gang, og det skremmer meg. :( Musikken er tålelig til tider, men fy faen for en vokal!
I'm so sad I missed this music when it was new - the London garage rock sound is so fun. The music is upbeat and a little chaotic, but just great to listen to.
It’s perfectly fine
Ok but not great
Not quite good enough to be as grubby as it is
The drums sound like they’re in another room and the vocals are both strained and lazy. Only works bc they’re British. Overall great punk adjacent alternative 2000s rock. Just angsty enough
This is a very confused album. One song will sound like an adolescent tantrum that would be right at home in the soundtrack for Skins. The next is a swingy jazz inspired call-and-reslonse number. If I were in a drunken stupor I may feel differently
A garage band rock type of feel with a little a very English vibe.
Oh right. I did mean to listen to this more since people at uni were obsessed. I remember from the few listens I gave it that it's not my thing, but I'm really interested to listen with a different perspective now. Disappointed. Takes me back to a time where I felt like the people around me were obsessed with this luke warm pop indie stuff and I felt like I had to be into that too. A boy called Doris feelings though. I've never really been a lyrics guy so maybe I'm missing out on incredible Pete Doherty poetry.
Wat een zeroes reeks zijn we in beland zeg. Na de wat dansbaardere, gepoleiste indie rock van Franz Ferdinand en LCD nu tijd voor de no-nonsense, in your face garage rock van The Libertines. Geboren uit een zelfde noodzaak en tijdsframe, maar toch een heel ander product. Maar waar het vaak losbandig is, hou ik altijd wel echt van die subtiele temposwitch en zachtaardige poëzie van Pete Doherty. 'Music When Lights Go Out' en 'What Katie Did' zijn daar prachtvoorbeelden van. Ondanks dat het wat minder compleet en memorabel aanvoelt als het beoordeelde werk van de voorgaand benoemde bands, kan ik niet anders dan concluderen dat deze ook wel weer redelijk raak is. The Libertines worden terecht vaak genoemd als sleutelfiguren in de garage rock revival van deze eeuw, als een soort Britse evenknie van The Strokes, maar toch vind ik het ook nog wel ietwat ondergewaardeerd als je ze vergelijkt met hun tijdsgenoten aan andere kant van de oceaan. Dit is niet hun sterkste werk, maar desalniettemin een puik album. 7,5/10 Highlights: Can't Stand Me Now Last Post on the Bugle Music When Lights Go Out
Veel Britsere garage rock ga je niet krijgen. Heerlijk hoe ontzettend punk die Pete Doherty is. Die plaat is het ook. Alleen al omdat Mick Jones deze heeft geproduceerd. Het klinkt ook erg als the Clash. Vind the Libertines altijd wel chill. Door de samenzang van de twee zangers en het feit het punk is, maar niet door lomp te vlammen. Over de songs is goed nagedacht, zijn echt liedjes. Heb dan ook genoten van deze plaat en even in de bijzondere broederschap van Barat en Doherty te duiken. 7,5/10 Highlights Can't Stand Me Now Road to Ruin What Became of the Likely Lads
Surprising album, I have never heard his music before
beetje sloppy punk zonder echt punk te zijn... waardoor het misschien net weer wel punk wordt... plaatje om blij van te worden
I've put off listening to them for a while and what a mistake. This was great as was their debut, tough to decide which is better after listening to them both only once. Rating: 4.6
Swear I listened to this album just this morning but can hardly remember. I know The Man Who Would Be King pinged for me.
This sounds like just about every other indie rock band that was recording music in 2004. Not sure why it's 15 minutes need to be any longer than that.
Landfill indie that manages to do the impossible and make me wish I was listening to the Strokes instead
I still don't understand how this band ever became successful - the vocals are truly awful at times. I didn't like The Libertines back then, and I still don't like them.
No son The Strokes, no son Franz Ferdinand. Estos es 100% R´n´R por actitud y calidad. A pesar del pose punk y actitud nihilista, la calidad de sus composiciones solo es comparable a lo que luego recogerían Artic Monkeys. Grandes, tanto como breve fue su carrera. Imprescindibles!!
When I heard this album years ago it sounded old fashioned. Listening again it sounds even more old fashioned.
It’s fine. The indie landfill period never gave anyone time to breathe and stand on their own. It was hard for me to genuinely listen to this album for that reason.
Not for me Not a huge fan of his voice There’s some nice songs
It's ok. Not awful but also I don't understand the hype this album generated. There are so many filler songs on here that it could have been released as a 6 track EP easily. Disappointed.
Still not sure how i completely missed The Libertines as a british kid back then, guess i just wasn't that into the indie scene. Really fun album though, full of energy, and a little sloppiness that i like in my rock.
Don't quite like it, for me personally is kinda mediocre 1/5
#1 The Libertines ~ The Libertines On the start of this 1001 album journey is the sophomore album by the Libertines, a band who's music eventually got overshadowed by the infamously constant feuding between songwriters Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, eventually leading to the premature cut to the band's fame in the early 2000s before they reached their idea of 'Arcadia': a musical land of no rules. Well how's the music. Well the album is naturally unpolished as one would expect with garage rock and their 'Arcadia' concept. In fact you might believe that the album was done in one take with how some songs immediately lead into another with no warning, much more strikingly done than on other garage albums. Indeed, many of the songs have barely any mixing, many that overall this album might as well be a really wild live concert, especially when from nowhere Doherty starts playing harmonicas, trumpets and keyboards. What is noticeable though is how the climaxes come and go so quickly, as if the band deliberately holds itself back JUST as its about to reach an anticipated explosion of sound. This quirk therefore makes every song sound very fragile and fleeting, and suddenly the concept of 'drug highs' comes to mind about what this album sounds like. And why drug-highs? Because the lyrics are heavily centred around the unstable tension between Barat and Doherty, and this is made extremely clear by the first track and is hammered throughout the rest of the album. Doherty, coked and screwed up in the mind, being a mess in public. Barat, trying to stay sane throughout the entire ordeal (he actually tried to kill himself by smashing his head to a pulp on a bathroom sink, this is how stressful being in the band was). Perhaps an underrated aspect of the Libertines is particularly Doherty and Barat's lyricism, filled with caustic wit, lucid imagery and a lot of self-hatred. It follows the British tradition of kitchen-sink realism popularised by the Kinks, the Smiths, Blur and, eventually, Arctic Monkeys. It is the back and forth competitiveness within the lyrics that primarily give the Libertines its unique sound, and it is potentially its turnoff to some people, cause those lyrics easily rise into uncomfortable excess. As the British product of garage rock to coincide with the American Strokes, the Libertines hold a very interesting position in music history. A band that self-sabotaged their fame but gave the public taste-tests for UK rock music to come in the following decade. Frankly there are definitely worse British garage-rock albums done by other bands (*cough* Kaiser Chiefs *cough*) and there are CERTAINLY better garage-rock albums done by other bands, but if you are a fan of garage rock, I don't see why you shouldn't give this album, and the Libertines, a chance. Verdict: Like watching a very entertaining divorce
Ok. I liked some of the songs but now all.
The hype surrounding the drug-infused band "The Libertines" never interested me. I've also never consciously listened to any of their songs. As it turns out, that was a good thing. I find the album "The Libertines" awful. The band takes the liberty of singing terribly, and their guitars sound just as shitty. It's all really borderline. For me, the album, and probably the band, belong in the category of "The most successful shitty albums/bands."
This could have been any early 2000s Brit rock album. You could’ve told me it was Arctic Monkeys and I’d believe you. Not my vibe and a bit of a snooze fest.
Rock correct, moi pas problème
Horribly mid brit pop.
There was so much press surrounding Pete Doherty and his rocky relationship with the rest of the band before this, opening this with "Can't Stand Me Now" was a stroke of genius of its own right. Arguably one of the coolest opening tracks when taken into context of the dialogue at the time. Anyway, just when punk was getting all stuck up on tween-ready bubblegum and tough-guy posturing in the States, the Libertines came through and showed just how much life was still in the old style. Sure, it doesn't sound like The Ramones or Sex Pistols or Black Flag, but neither did "London Calling." (The Clash's Mick Jones produced this, in case you forgot.) So unless you're stuck on skate- or pop-punk formula as the only available flavor for the genre, just embrace that this is a direction that punk went in the early '00s. It's crazy all the contortions listeners and punk-averse critics were about that realization. This isn't indie rock, and was never shooting to be it. I get that it spawned a lot of godawful shamble-rock (remember The Fratellis?), but this is a pretty singular take on British punk - and really punk worldwide - that still stands up a couple decades after it hit shelves.
Not for me.
Let me get something off my chest. I see that one of the “highlights” of this album is that it’s on a BBC list for the most overrated albums or some shit. How pathetic do you have to be to use some bullshit media poll to form an opinion? Like seriously, form you own damn opinion. These fucking lists are meant to drive engagement for profit. Don’t listen to crap like that. I’m not even saying this to defend this album, because I think it sucks. It’s too poppy to sound punk, and it’s too indie to sound pop. Add some grating vocals to the mix and this was just bad to get through. Outside of a few moments, it’s hard for me to believe that was even popular enough to be considered overrated. It just feels like more British shit for the list. Maybe the BBC can recommend more “overrated” albums better than this. Favorite track: Music When the Lights Go Out Other hits: Campaign of Hate
Pretty enjoyable indie rock, with better playing from the band than many indie albums have.
Geez! What's with all the British Indie lately!? One star for the douchey album cover alone. Upon listening, though? Yeah. This is trash.
I couldn't finish this. These guys can't sing for shit, but the music was okay enough for a sports pub or something.
Meh
Cool. Nothing Else to say. I mean, It's not like I din't listened to things like that millions of times before. Just a regular rock album. 3 stars
Just bad
Esch zwar au weder so Britische Pop/Rock was eigentlech dezue tendiert langwiilig z si, das fätzt aber jetzt eigentlech noch no rächt ond esch halt so chli Feelgood-Musig woni allgemein guet fende. Esch mer jetzt au nie wörk langwiilig worde. Vorallem "The Man Who Would Be King" fendi geil. Trozdem esch s meischte doch au es bez random ond ech has jetzt ned e so fescht gfühlt dases 5 Stärne wördig wär.
British pop-rock, nothing very special. 3/5
meh
Decent but unfortunately my ex was really into them and so they don’t leave a good taste in my mouth. The last song was pretty incredible, though
Didn't really connect with this one. Felt at times like a cross between the worst parts of The Beatles and Arctic Monkeys. Some good moments highlighted by very crisp drumming, but not a lot else going on. Top tracks: What Katie Did, Road to Ruin
It was aight
Always gonna be slightly biased against this album for childhood reasons. Thought I'd never have to listen to the libertines again. Have to say though, the music wasn't bad at all. Still can't bring myself to give it any more than 2 stars though
It's fine young rock/pop. 3/5
Some incredible grooves but the singing is mostly dreadful.
Really bloody good
Messy, catchy, high energy. Don't know how I missed this one in 2004, I would've been obsessed! 3.5
Liked this a lot!
I know for a fact there are at least 10 other garage rock revival bands on this list, some with multiple albums. There is no reason for this to be here. Giving this a two only because the first song is good and they’re competent musicians.
Meh.
Scrappy and lively, but (for me) somewhat forgettable.
# 488 : The Libertines : 26/05/2025 meh! Can listen to it, and it was better than I expected, given the track record of British indie records. But...nothing stood out and it ended up being quite forgettable.
It was alright indie pop, wasn't super memorable for me but some solid tunes in there
Heard of them, familiar with at least one of the songs, maybe more. My kind of thing, I enjoyed - predictable with indie rock it seems.
The best mainstream rap album ever.
There is nothing special about this music that makes it deserving to be on this list. And if I can clearly detect a strong accent of the singer, is it really singing? Don’t get me wrong, the music isn’t horrible, it’s jut forgettable.
liked it! sounded like the strokes a bit
:/
Music was ok. Vocals were hard to understand
This was rather fun, but… Pete Doherty. Can’t bring myself to rate it higher than 3.
If this came out in 04 I guess I could see it being influential for some late aughts stuff like arctic monkeys. But on its own it was replacement level indie that seems to be hogging a spot on the list.
Pretty good alt/indie rock. I liked it but not sure why it should be on the list.
These guys walked so Arctic Monkeys could run. My god is this similar. The album was a fun listen even if the guitar tone got a little monotonous by the end.
Nothing special it all sounded the same but I respect the effort
Groundbreaking indie for the time, and listen able. Not my favorite but I can get the appeal.
Det hørtes ut omtrent akkurat som æ har trodd at det skulle høres ut i de tyve åran æ ikke har hørt på det. Æ likte bonussporet etter sistesporet best, så det sier sæsjøl at det va ensom mann med gitar.
Oh look, more Britpop and... oh look, it sounds just like the last two dozen examples. 4/10.
Fun album!! I mean I liked it! I had fun listening to this. May never listen to it again though 6/10
I thought I would like it but it just didn't grab me
A fun time inspired by classic rock and punk
Great album… for me to poop on.
Sorry but “Heroin: The Album” is so shambolic and useless to be even briefly entertaining. These guys definitely think they’re rock stars, but they’re mostly just shit.
zero reaction to this at all
Great album
It’s good, definitely feels of its time. For the mid-aughts bratty Brit rock, I’d rather listen to The Cribs 10 times out of 10 but I don’t dislike this. 3 stars.
Albumi #203, 08.05.2025 The Libertinesin toinen albumi julkaistiin vuoden 2004 elokuussa.
New album for me. Great sound and range. Looking forward to listening to this more.
A band that was falling apart records music that was falling apart. The most important band in Britain for about 10 minutes and then they got swallowed up by drugs, models, tabloid nonsense, robbery, fist fights and any number of other cliches. Messy indie music for messy indie types. The singles were always great, the albums could never really stand up. Best Tracks: Can't Stand Me Now; Music When the Lights Go Out; Arbeit Mach Frei
If I knew about this band in high school, I would've loved them
Fun and upbeat but just not my sound. Can appreciate it for what it is, though!
Hatte noch nie von der Band gehört. Nicht schlecht aber irgendwie, langweilig?
A real nothing album, forgot almost all of it by the time I hit play on the next album. I wouldn't say it's bad, but in a sea of 2000's indie rock bands it really doesn't stand out. The singing is bland, songwriting is not too memorable and there weren't any songs here I would wanna come back to.
Haven't heard much from the Libertines, except that Pete Doherty is a real a-class junkie and trouble-maker. Listened to this album half-attentively while cooking, and I didn't find it much interesting. I think it has a promising sound, but the songs don't grab me at all, sadly. Even now when skimming through it as I'm writing this, and I don't find it particularly noteworthy. Perhaps I need to listen to it a few times to appreciate it, not sure. Weak 3 for now.
Never really got in to The Libertines, something about it just feels a bit dull. I did enjoy the punkier songs like "Arbeit Macht Frei" but other than that it just felt like a worse version of the Strokes or Arctic Monkeys.
I won't remember anything from this album an hour from now, but while listening, I bopped my head along and was in a pretty good mood.
Better than I expected it to be! I expected more Blur, not so much The Smiths. The band has chops and there were lots of lovely guitar and songwriting bits.
Guitar pop
Bland, boring and forgettable! The last couple of songs were kind of alright though! Album rating: ⭐ 1/2
Sound zwenig kohärent, oft lärmig uf e nervigi Art. Bi au ned so Fan vom Gsang. Generell hend d Lieder oft interessanti Idee, aber es chunt ned so zäme.
recht es typischs 3 stern album: es gfallt mer recht guet, ich finds eig biz wenig komplex für es vieri, aber ich finds es guets album, teilwiis passiered sehr kuuli sache (z.b. d gitarre und basslinie in tomblands, ganz andere chiller-vibe in what katie did, echo-prinzip und orgle in road to ruin), drum rundi jetz mal ufes vieri uf.
“What Katie did” is the standout track. Guitar rock with chatty, polite British lads who think they are edgy. Brit pop if it were supermarket Muzak. 2.4 stars rounded down.
Didn’t listen much. Wasn’t hitting me today. Just fine
boring
I believe somewhere I read Mick Jones was associated with this band, so I had some really high expectations. Those expectations were not met, but this wasn't a bad album. FWIW, the expectation was a more of a in your face/punk sound. Can't Stand Me Now was a good opener and I really liked the 3 song stretch of the Ha Ha Wall, Arbeit Macht Frei and Campaign of Hate. But outside of those tunes, found it to be a pretty "ok" sound. I was a little surprised to a song titled Arbeit Macht Frei and thought this is not going to be good. And then to follow it up with Campaign of Hate, well it worked out a lot better than I anticipated. Decent album. Not quite my taste, but a pretty good listen. 3
3 The Wikipedia page for this album describes it as “particularly biographical of the relationship between frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty”, and I thought that was pretty neat - how often do you see bands fronted by a couple, let alone a gay couple? And I went right on thinking that even after listening multiple times because - Holy Britain, Batman - I could not tell you a damn thing that’s said anywhere here. Is it romantic? I don’t know, presumably. As it turns out, no, no it’s not. The two dudes were not, in fact, romantically involved, nor have they ever been, Wikipedia was simply referring to their platonic and working relationship. Oops. Though, to be fair, look up like any picture of the two - as of this writing, the group’s primary Spotify profile picture shows them seemingly inches away from shoving their tongues down each other’s throats. I think my confusion was somewhat grounded. I digress, this album was kind of a mess… but I also kind of liked it for that reason. As mentioned, it’s British to the point of borderline incoherency, which isn’t helped by the fact that the guys can’t really sing all that well either, and yet there’s just enough of a sense of drunken hooliganism to it all that I found it oddly charming. There were songs here that I found quite annoying at first, like Don’t Be Shy and Music When the Lights Go Out, that ended up growing on me upon subsequent re-listens. That said, this album’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness - there’s certainly charm to be found in its messiness but not really a ton of catch. Like, some of these songs almost seem to make it a point to be as uncatchy as possible. Maybe that’s just a part of its garage and punk influence, but it doesn’t really lend itself to a ton of replayability, especially considering the lack of clear messaging or direction. Speaking of punk influence, I was pretty surprised to see that this was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, as I didn’t really find that it translated into the music in any meaningful way. I mean, I guess it does feel like Barât and Doherty were going for a bit of Jones-Strummer dynamic of their own, but if so, this is like the Walmart-brand version of that in comparison. Despite its flaws, there’s just something about this album that I kinda liked. Maybe it’s a situation where I like its energy more than its actual music, I don’t know, but I’m walking away feeling positive about it. Though, apparently the BBC once ranked this as the #3 most overrated album of all-time, right behind Nirvana’s Nevermind and Coldplay’s X&Y, which is absolutely mind-boggling to me - not necessarily because I disagree, but because I have no idea how it even ended up on a list like that with those artists.
Honestly one of the more interesting and overall likable out of the records I’ve given a 3/5. Just a couple too many tracks that feel flat compared to the other, better ground they cover through the album. Good energy, convincing enough mix of styles. Perhaps a bit too obviously Clash-coded. 7/10
This started out good but felt very same-y by the end.
Ok
what the hell, sure.
Pretty good but didn't blow me away. Decent indie rock.
Didn't like first songs, middle-end is norm
I think of the Libertines the way I think of “The Fratellis”. Do I love “Chelsea Dagger”? Yes. Does that make me want to listen to the rest of their back catalogue? No.
Exhibit A in the case against bands whose reputation has been massively over inflated thanks to tabloid tales of drug addiction and interpersonal conflict. If smacked-out Pete Doherty didn't break into his bandmate's flat in the time between The Libertines' first album and this one, this could easily be considered just another album for the indie rock landfill. It's not bad at all, but it is just not as interesting as the stuff in the genre that came before and after. High 2*.