I have to admit that my tolerance for snotty British punk is pretty low. I don't even like
Singles Going Steady all that much, I think The Jam suck, and as I've already written on this very blog, the Arctic Monkeys are one of the worst "critically respected" rock groups to come along in years. So it's to these guys' credit that I sort of like this record; well, at least, I actively don't hate it. There are some good songs on here! "The Good Old Days" in particular has a great melody, the backing vocals during the chorus working wonders with very little. "The Boy Looked at Johnny" has a "lie-lie-lie" vocal thing that's so stupid and so British I can't help but love it, and "Time for Heroes" is a good enough single. I suspect my overall dislike for this kind of music might be a cultural thing--certainly these guys didn't exactly make it big in the States. I wonder what people in the UK think of the Hold Steady, a band so aggressively "local" they don't seem to me to be able to translate anywhere else (I grew up in the Midwest, so of course the band hits me in all the right places). Aside from the aforementioned songs, there's not much else here that's too memorable, but everything is certainly passable and frankly, the Arctic Monkeys make this band sound like the fucking Who. So if you want a watered-down Sex Pistols/Stranglers/Undertones/etc. (notice I didn't mention the Clash--those guys are in another class altogether) pick this up. For what it is (something I don't like) it's good!
MY RATING:
6.2
The Libertines - "The Boy Looked At Johnny"
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