The Cribs: Men's Needs Women's Needs Whatever
The Cribs work well with Alex Kapranos
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Tuesday, 22, May 2007 11:41
Wichita, May 21st.
In a nutshell.
Polished, intelligent, poppy, grown-up
What's it all about?
Men's Needs Women's Needs Whatever is the third album from the Cribs and is produced by Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos. Cue a more suave approach to the band's songs about women, getting drunk and arguing with people. If there was one criticism you could label at the Cribs prior to this album, it would be that there songs were often scrappy and under-produced. With Kapranos onboard, this issue fades away and the band's songs truly blossom.
Men's Needs, the first single to be lifted from the album, is an angry rant in the mould of Hey Scensters, referencing trendy folks from New York and London not impressing the 'down to earth' Cribs. Our Bovine Public is another highpoint; "you can never exist without being generic", possibly offering the band's view of why they haven't taken off in the way they were widely expected to.
Who's it by?
The Cribs are a family affair, with the twins Ryan and Gary Jarman along with younger brother Ross comprising the group's members. The Cribs' self-titled debut was critically applauded and the follow-up The New Fellas gave the world some sing-a-long festival tunes that gave the band a new audience.
But somehow they remain eclipsed by their good friends and fellow northerners Kaiser Chiefs, despite the Cribs material being far superior to anything the Leeds band could possibly produce.
As an example.
"Have you noticed / I've never been impressed / By you friends from New York and London / I'll level acusations like the press / Until you realise you've dressed yourself in tatters." - Men's Needs.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Not a chance, although Ryan did manage to walk away with an NME award after crashing down onto a table and cutting his backside open at the magazine's bash last year. He finished the evening with a trip to hospital - you have been warned Grammys.
So is it any good?
Men's Need Women's Needs Whatever is a step up for the Cribs. It's an interesting album which grabs your attention for its entirety; something their previous efforts struggled to achieve. Kaprano's production is a key element in this winning formula, smoothening out the Jarman's playing and leaving the songs raw, but with a listenable melody.
Girls Like Mystery comes with an addictive riff, while the Jarman's vocals are at their usual semi-coherent standards generating a curious package. The Crib's guitar playing is simple and basic, but effective when the songs have character and the Jarman's vocals come with a hefty dose of heartiness.
I'm a Realist is a nice addition, contrasting the twin's characters of romanticism and realism in a conversational style. "I'm a romantic / I'm an indecisive / Piece of s**t," they sing, behind the kind of melody you'd expect from early Strokes material.
The other half of the needs of the sexes, Women's Needs, is a darker concoction which works well when coupled with the upbeat and angry Men's Needs. There are traces of Franz disco sneaked in between the oohs and ahhs of the Crib's vocals, all culminating in scruffy and frenzied guitar.
Be Safe, which features Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, is very much in the mood of the legendry US group. The Cribs do there best to generate the dark and distinctly aggressive guitar on Sonic Youth's material while Ranaldo speaks over the Jarman's quiet harmonies; it's an interesting moment in the Cribs' history, albeit a little surreal. It's a homage, if you like.
This third record from the Cribs is a quiet contender for being one of the records of the summer, revealing finally that this band could be big, if only the Jarmans could be bothered.
7/10
Karl Pike