The Fratellis
"Here We Stand" CD
Cherry Tree
Records /
Island /
Interscope
Genre: rock, indie rock, garage
rock
Aug 21 2008 |
It isn't easy being a Fratelli. Here We Stand came out
the same week as Coldplay's Viva la Vida, and although
the two bands have little in common, it's
hard to compete with a record that sells three hundred thousand units
in its first day. Still, The Fratellis sound as spirited as
ever on this eleven track album, throwing down convincing power chords
and cheerily infectious choruses not quite like no
other. The record's best song also happens to be its first
single, "Mistress Mabel." Tailor-made for rock radio, it features a
bouncy guitar part, a strong vocal melody, and even an exuberant solo
- fans of Jet, Ok Go, and of course the last
Fratellis album will have no reason to complain. Also charming is
the Brit-pop of fun and zealous "A Heady Tale," while Strokes-esque
ballad "Babydoll" boasts an uplifting chorus partly snatched from
Rockpile's "Now and Always." Meanwhile,
second single "Look Out Sunshine!" has a plodding
climax that is not bereft of hooks, though the original
selection for single two, "Lupe Brown," is a
somewhat more interesting song.
Of course, the news isn't uniformly good. "Shameless" is tedious
for all but two seconds of each chorus, and even then it's derivative
of so much other bland hard rock. Grungy "Stragglers Moon," meanwhile,
could have been a well-placed break in tone for Here We Stand,
but it is missing the sort of catchiness
that would make it memorable rather than
just vaguely familiar. I also can't help but shift in my seat whenever
the heavy but excruciatingly bland "Tell Me a Lie" comes on.
I'm not quite sure why Here We Stand has been garnering
mixed reviews, because it's a pretty matter-of-fact
record. Fifty minutes of rock and the occasional slow bit,
infectious but not unhip melodies, some hits and some misses, but
overall a straightforward modern pop album. Did you
expect anything else?
the fratellis' myspace
75%
youuuuuuuutube!:
mistress mabel video,
a
heady tale live
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks, distributed by
Amazon,
released June 9, 2008] |
