Fratellis: Here We Stand
Thursday, 05 Jun 2008 14:52
A slight return from the Glaswegian three
Universal, out June 9th.
In a nutshell...
Fails to stand out from the crowd.
What's it all about?
Here We Stand is the highly-anticipated follow up from the Glaswegian trio who are best remembered for their previous chart success Costello Music. This album is confirmation that the boys have decided to replicate rather then originate the indie pop sound, in other words not a step up the ladder but nor a step down. It looks like the Fratellis are happy creating background pub melodies and keeping it simplistic.
Reminiscent of its predecessor, Here We Stand is about as contagious as a cold and flu on the underground and even though these foolish lyrics might annoy you to death they certainly won't leave your head until your craving for 'just one more listen' takes its toll.
Great tracks on this album include the speculated next single Mistress Mabel which gives us another big memorable chorus, A Heady Tale which includes fantastic piano driven moments and a great rock-out guitar sound in Tell Me A Lie.
Who's it by?
Rolling on from the 2006 debut album Costello Music, Here we stand is the follow up from the Scottish moppy haired bros.
Labelled as "The best new band in Britain" by the NME, the Scottish trio has proved that Britain definitely has talent with this new bunch of melodic and infectious tracks.
The Fratellis have wasted no time in becoming Scotland's biggest export to the planet and return now hoping to replicate the well-earned success of first effort Costello Music, which gave light to some of the catchiest, singalong tracks in a long time. Who could forget the heartfelt Whistle for the Choir and the classic Chelsea Dagger, a track so anthemic it's rehearsed by every major football fan across the country.
As an example...
"Mistress Mabel, you're seriously wrong/Clears my table, bang and then she's gone, /Takes a liberty if you let her/Yes she's old but she should know better/Oh dear Mabel please don't put me on." – Mistress Mabel
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Already landing themselves a Brit award in 2007 for best British breakthrough act as well as having sold over a million copies. The Fratellis have clearly stamped their mark on the indie/pop/rock scene. Whether it is unique enough to earn them another gong is a different question altogether. Conversely, Here We Stand as a debut would have been an impressive attempt but as a second runner it gets the thumbs down in yielding anymore awards for the Scottish lads.
What the others say
"Here We Stand keeps up its predecessor's swagger, but the album's debts to glam and Brit-rock forbears (there's some Bowie and Clash here, too) give you a vague sense you've heard these songs before." – Christian Hoard, Rolling Stone
So is it any good?
Amid the swerve of pop-indie bands that have surfaced from the UK in recent years, sometimes it can be hard to separate the boys from the men in this overflowing category. The Fratellis have yet to stand out from the crowd and their new effort doesn't help things.
The album is harmless fun that comprises big dumb pop songs, nonsensical lyrics with a generic indie/rock melody that you can be sure of hearing at every pub in town. It's lad music at its finest; think lyrics you could get away with bellowing at a football stadium.
Even though there is not much substance to this album it is not a terrible attempt just rather a disappointing one. Here We Stand is the definition of the perfect soundtrack for your next bar crawl or for any 'plastic gangster' type characters that you see lurking around your local.
This music isn't to be taken too seriously and can be seen as mainly enjoyed whilst being under the influence.
On the contrary, the Fratelli brothers are back with very much the same assignment, which is to create head-banging, hands-in-the-air tunes that you wouldn’t feel humiliated repeating while being smashed.
The Fratellis certainly understand the power of the sing-along chorus as a winning formula for success.
6/10
Natalie Gurvitz
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