Wakefield's very own Band of Brothers The Cribs have a new record out soon, with the unwieldy title 'Mens Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever'. I've never really got into the band too heavily, although the original version of their 'You're Gonna Lose Us' is a pre-gaming staple. (The re-record was a little too polished for my taste). The new record is not going to convert me to a die-hard, but it's still chock-full of great new songs that I'd love to see live (Main Stage at Lollapalooza!) because they're so damn energetic.
New single 'Men's Needs' and 'Our Bovine Public' rock especially hard, as do 'Ancient History' and 'My Life Flashed Before My Eyes'. The dual vocals between the two Jarmans that sing are punchy as usual, but the sound here is buoyed by Alex Kapranos' production. When they slow things down, like on 'I've Tried Everything' and especially sweet closer 'Shoot the Poets', they manage to pull it off well, too.
"I'm an indecisive piece of shit" they sing on 'I'm A Realist', and sure enough, there are a couple of weaklings, most notably 'Be Safe', where a solid chorus is undermined by a spoken-word lead from Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo. It's a bit naff. But for the most part, this is their solid-est record yet, spin the opener and enjoy the air drumming that will doubtless result.
[download The Cribs - Our Bovine Public]
[pre-order 'Mens Needs...']
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Will have to check this out when I get off work. I'm finally getting around to those Bloc Party b-sides you pointed me towards a bit ago.. and they're basically better than the record itself.
I'd take Version 2.0 over just about the whole record.