Buy Or Don’t Buy

It was always the Libertines’ peculiar curse that people were nostalgic for them even when they were still together. Their songs were never particularly great and now sound nearly indistinguishable, but every so often you’d catch on to some wonderful moment that made you think they certainly had the possibility of greatness in them. (My favorite: “I get along just singing my song / people tell me I’m wrong / … Fuck ‘em”). What was best about them was the image they sold: a grubbily romantic England full of faded imperial glory and cheeky alley rats. They were the anti-Streets; no mention of chavs or mobile phones or Bianca Gascoigne.  When you’re an American kid growing up in the suburbs, that kind of thing’s remarkably appealing.

But they broke up, almost five years ago now, and frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barât started their own new bands. Doherty formed Babyshambles, again released a couple of near-great songs (”Albion” and “Gang of Gin”), but the music was always secondary to his tabloid adventures. Barât started Dirty Pretty Things and promptly made two mediocre albums before deciding to put the band out of its misery.

But this week, Doherty released his first solo album (under the name ‘Peter Doherty’), which means, if you’re counting, there are now more than twice as many post-Libertines albums as there were Libertines albums. “Grace/Wastelands” isn’t a bad album, but it’s hardly revelatory. Doherty’s got a knack for melody that suits him well on sentimental acoustic ballads, but his rockier songs lack the bite of The Libertines’ work. Graham Coxon, ex-Blur guitarist, contributes his legendary fuzzy noodling, but something’s missing.

Doherty needs Barât’s sharp guitar, and Barât needs Doherty’s songwriting instincts. The solution should be obvious: Guys, hire some good drug counselors and get the band back together!