Album Review:The Cribs: Men’s needs, women’s needs, whatever

ukevents.net · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Posts: 2439

The Cribs – Men’s needs, women’s needs, whatever

The Cribs may have momentarily stalled from taking the p*** out of ‘sceensters’ but still spit their blood filled Yorkshire venom at many aspects of generic society. Only the Jarman brothers know if it was a cunningly strategic plan to have Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos on producer duty to relatively tame their innate hatred and produce an album worthy of a ‘PG’ censorship.
This is a band that should be more celebrated than the invention of invisible less rubbery condoms yet they are vastly underrated. Maybe it’s their tendency to cut, bruise, mutate and injure themselves at any given opportunity that has prevented their inclusion in the Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight circle of recognition. But then again that may be the last thing the Wakefield trio desire, not to mention myself. I like my bands raw, passionate, and not a slave to commercialism and these mining town boys certainly nestle in that category. Sure their sound may have experienced a slight rinse and swill but they still posses their soul and rough noise.
The Cribs third album is packed full of catchy melodies that Simon Cowell would have a wet dream over if only he could get within a 37 mile radius of them. The scene setter suggests that ‘you wouldn’t exist if you weren’t generic/ you’re out to impress our bovine public’ followed by the advice that ‘Girls like mystery’. Hit single ‘Men’s needs’ sounds strikingly similar to the Strokes and explains the fact that ‘men’s needs are full of greed’. In the mid section of the twins ranting ‘Major titling victory’ somehow manages to spawn a hypnotizing song out of three short lines: ‘I can’t find time for her, oh no/because I’m empty/because of MTV’. As further evidence of the bands more thoughtful album some geezer made famous by Sonic Youth makes a guest vocal appearance on ‘Be safe’. It’s so solemnly powerful I find myself shouting in agreement as he seemingly gets mad at everything from parking tickets to breakfast specials.
Unlike their previous albums there are no immediate anthems but like Jacks bean stalk it’s an immensely fast grower that appeals to disillusioned Libertine fans and the anti-mainstream. Put this in a bare knuckle fight with the sickly Hooisers and the latter would now be in a coma with only screaming pre-pubic simpletons for unconscious company. But to be honest who would care? In ‘I’m a realist’ they may confess to being indecisive pieces of s*** so I’ll set an example and say it’s maybe the bands best album so far, definitely the most marketable… if you could ever associate that word with the Cribs?

Written by Simon for UKEvents.net