Cynics will continue to write their doggerel till kingdom come, but listeners may just find their favourite Libertines album yet.
Anthems For Doomed Youth is a triumphant return; defying pretty much all the odds ... their songwriting prowess has ensured that the decade-long wait between albums has been more than worth it.
Not every song on the record lives up to the anthemic nature promised in the title, but there are certainly moments of triumphant redemption and plenty of nostalgic nods to fulfill fans' understandably high expectations.
While they’ve sacrificed the more inflammatory aspects, they’ve retained their songwriting prowess and knack for melody.
It’s this powerful nostalgia for their original selves ... that makes Anthems For Doomed Youth better than it really ought to be, as if the last decade hadn’t happened.
Anthems for Doomed Youth isn’t perfect, but it succeeds in redressing the balance, reminding you that before Doherty became an embarrassing red-top fixture, he and Barât were genuinely great songwriters with a uniquely skewed vision.
Anthems is an absorbing listen front to back, but lacks the iconoclasm of Up the Bracket and 2004's self-titled record. Still, it's rich with mood and gorgeous melodies, and a pervasive doomy streak.
It’s been well over a decade since Julian Casablancas & Co. have released an album as taut and wasted and sexy as Anthems for Doomed Youth. Play this one out.
Whatever personal clarity they've attained has done nothing to dilute their music's heroic wastedness. They still nail the accidentally poignant sound of grasping for heaven while falling from a window.
It’s a stylish, likeable work, that while not hitting the peaks of excitement in their early albums has a real consistency and warmth.
Musically there is enough variation to make Anthems for Doomed Youth a satisfying listen.
It's as authentic a return as a fan could ask for, and works equally well as a final chapter in the band's story or a new one.
While the music may not always match up, the lyrics reaffirm The Libertines’ place as one of the most vital British bands ever and should usher a fresh generation of believers on board the good ship Albion.
Their style is dated now, certainly, but it’s still bloody heartening to have The Libs back.
Eleven years after an eponymous record that presaged a series of ignominious public meltdowns, the Libertines have assembled a collection of solid tunes, three quarters of which boast hooks stuck into unsurprising rock arrangements.
The breadth of the material is astounding compared to their previous stuff; Pete and Carl have essentially brought their respective solo projects on board ship, creating a new marriage of sounds that’s less coherent but far more interesting.
Much of the album rides that line between the pain of the past and the pleasure of having gotten through it. Consequently, it frequently lacks catharsis and powerful moments. Rather than dip into the depths or climb to the heights, Anthems sits in a gray middle.
There’s an entire generation who get nostalgic when they think about how important this band used to be. On the evidence of Anthems for Doomed Youth, The Libertines miss those days too.
A bit repetitive and boring isn't it ?
This records lacks personality although 'You're My Waterloo' had its little effect on me
the same matches and dirty guitars and vocals dragged , but with more pop modeling to hear. a very inregular album for a band like libertines , much more than I expected of them back without risking too much in dosage.
biting and clinging and ripping up and destroying and holding and cuddling this album. in case you were wondering.
1 | Barbarians 3:35 | 82 |
2 | Gunga Din 2:58 | 85 |
3 | Fame and Fortune 3:07 | 81 |
4 | Anthem for Doomed Youth 4:26 | 83 |
5 | You're My Waterloo 4:19 | 96 |
6 | Belly of the Beast 4:06 | 75 |
7 | Iceman 4:58 | 94 |
8 | Heart of the Matter 3:29 | 87 |
9 | Fury of Chonburi 2:40 | 76 |
10 | The Milkman's Horse 3:23 | 85 |
11 | Glasgow Coma Scale Blues 3:12 | 75 |
12 | Dead for Love 5:14 | 99 |