The Libertines Don’t Look Back Into the Sun
(Rough Trade)
The Libertines have been disparaged a lot in the press for being yet another garage rock band trying to be the Strokes. Listening to this single I think I think this is most unfair because the Libertines are more than just another Strokes, there’s a lot more to them and a myriad of influences shine through on all six songs (across two CDs). Don’t Look Back Into the Sun sounds is catchy with its indie and Britpop influences.
The first of the b-sides on CD 1, Death on the Stairs is a re-recording and atfirst sounds like an Oasis tune and whilst it does have qualities of the Strokes’ LastNight it also fits in a Pulp influence. Tell the King sounds like a lot of Scousebands (the Coral being one of them). CD 2 is an entirely different propositionfrom CD 1 Skint and Minted seems to have been hidden away for the past 40 oddyears until now and the Libertines have hijacked it for their own. The one dufftrack is Mockingbird which is just like a mick take of Deep South camp fire bluesand I’m still not sure whether they’re serious or not. Still, thisis really fun as singles go.
