Peter Doherty - 'Last Of The English Roses'
I read an interview recently with Pete (sorry, PeteR) Doherty, in which he described how, in the early days of the Libertines, the band decided to play the songs they had at breakneck speed because were really big at the time and velocity seemed to be something the indie fans were into. This, he claimed, got the band noticed, signed and immortalised as legends quicker than, well, quicker than they played their own material.
Clearly there's less of a need for speed these days, which is understandable. Grabbing people's attention is less of a motivating factor when you're being hounded by paparazzi and trailing chaos in your wake. If anything, slowing the music down could be seen as a way of trying to bring the Doherty whirlygig down to a safe landing. He has, by his own admission, been spending a lot of time at home, after all.
However, there is a lot to be said for writing and performing songs as if you want someone to listen to them all the way to the end. That's an important thing. It's not about tempo alone, although a little bit of oomph would certainly help keep the snooze-eye at bay. It would be nice if there was something of a tune going on, something you could grab onto with your mind, y'know?
Actually, lyrics which stood up to repeated listening would be a start. Or a less fussy arrangement, one which doesn't seem to want to fill all the gaps in sound with either drum machine or bass.
And while once upon a time using a melodica would suggest the impeccable credentials of , via , nowadays it just says you've been pinching ideas off Hard-Fi. That's right, I didn't think it was possible to put "ideas" and "Hard-Fi" into the same sentence either. That's how bad the situation is.
So, to recap. This would be a much better song if it was a different song. And faster.
Download: Out now
CD Released: March 9th
(Fraser McAlpine)
PS: Sadly I can't show you the video, in which Peter walks about in a hat. Again. This is because there is an entirely gratuitous bit of man-on-man snogging at the end - no tongues though. It's important to say that this would still be gratuitous if it were woman-on-man snogging, or woman-on-woman snogging. It's gratuitous because it's not relevant to watching Peter walk about in a hat and then play football, which is what the video is 'about'.
Comment number 1.
At 4th Mar 2009, gezellig wrote:Unbelievable. Your dis of Hard-Fi I mean. It's only them, The Coral and Malakai doing anything of note out of all the current crop of British bands. And The Zutons if they can get a new label. The rest are just clones. Get a check up from the neck up son.
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Comment number 2.
At 4th Mar 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Righto, dad!
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Comment number 3.
At 4th Mar 2009, catman231 wrote:You're right, bands like Mumford and Sons, Biffy Clyro, Muse, the Arctic Monkeys, it's all just regurgitated nonsense.
(If you're wondering, I chose these bands because they're all British, they all have new material on the horizon and they all showcase the wonderful diversity of British music. And to say that Hard-Fi aren't a clone...!)
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Comment number 4.
At 5th Mar 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:"A check up from the neck up"?
Um, OK. Perhaps we could all start insulting each other using cheesy rhymes, like a cut-price rap battle. For example:
For goodness sake troll, shut your cakehole.
Like it?
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Comment number 5.
At 5th Mar 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Love it!
Er, I mean, you need a frontal lobotomy, you grunting flob-bottle-tea.
Oh yes, I know how to torture a pun!
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Comment number 6.
At 5th Mar 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:Well would you believe it? The blog police who removed my post earlier have actually relented and put it back up.
Still a few censorship points off for removing it in the first place, but a couple of humility points back for actually having the good grace to put it right.
Power to the people! Sorry - ppl.
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Comment number 7.
At 15th Mar 2009, spirit wrote:OH PLEASE !!
Just to put the record straight !!!
HARD FI have their place.
tied up too tight
cash machine
better do better
hard to beat
livin for the weekend
knights of suburbia
They are all quality songs !!!!
Fraser you should be ashamed !
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