Album of the week, week 33: The Fratellis - Here We Stand

Tracklist
1. My Friend John (3:02)
2. A Heady Tale (4:53)
3. Shameless (3:57)
4. Look Out Sunshine! (3:53)
5. Stragglers Moon (4:31)
6. Mistress Mabel (4:28)
7. Jesus Stole My Baby (4:24)
8. Babydoll (4:42)
9. Tell Me A Lie (3:59)
10. Acid Jazz Singer (4:22)
11. Lupe Brown (5:27)
12. Milk And Money (4:44)

Sigh. Yes, here we stand. And what can I say when I'm quite disappointed to start with? I'm not quite satisfied with the move that The Fratellis have made with their second album Here We Stand. Most of the qualities that together made the Scots' debut album Costello Music a refreshing, sharp and effectively charming stylized take on indie rock suitable for freshmen popsters, young party lions and less young rock enthusiasts, has sunk into oblivion.

The band have since 2006 already advanced into an era of maturity. We're not talking fresh youngster-virile indie rock with a good and willing ear for both 60s and 70s pop and rock traditions any more. We're talking godamn bloody straightforward rock'n'roll in its fullest purity - although still with an emphasis on "rock" before "'n'roll". The wonderful Henrietta must be at least 60+ by now because The Fratellis have been keen on plumply prematuring themselves into something that feels rather rushed and forced.

No! Not at all have they taken on something they can't handle. Because if anything the songwriting skills remain intact, if not even improved. Each song packs an unexcusing lot of punch, in terms of melody and rocking and rolling, into the listener's face. But still there's no song matching their still best song, Henrietta. Not even the closest one, the lead single Mistress Mabel, drags me with it as much as the spiky poprock anthem of 2006 did.

And no! Lyrically, The Fratellis' burlesque-tinged themes have improved and expanded in amount per minute of this album. I'm not well informed on the ages of The Fratellis but this musical prematurity has brought some good qualities to their formula. But...

... for crying out loud, they have virtually performed a full-blown moving from the hazy moors of Scotland to the open ranches of Southern USA! A Heady Tale is frenetic and vibrant piano rock that rocks the pants of any redneck with his or her mind still firmly rooted in the 70s. Acid Jazz Singer suffers (frankly I am the one who's suffering) from its wannabe tough guitar and vocal "ah-aaahaaahaaahaaa" intro duette which unfortunately gets two more rounds in the song. Moreover it just sounds like one of those songs that really ancient (American) bands try to kick-start their new millenium debuts with. It's just embarrassing for all involved.

Maybe it's because I was terrorized by my dad's insisting affection for frequently playing Smokie's self-titled 1976 album when I grew up, but Look Out Sunshine! gives me a warm feeling inside of safety and acknowledgement while still being awkwardly discomforting because of the past's unfortunate stereo events.

Maybe I heard things that weren't there on Costello Music, but no. This is definitely where we stand now and it's certainly not where Costello Music stood. The Fratellis' sudden change of environment makes me feel like enjoying myself on a post-semi-ironic level over this raunchy rock'n'roll party in a Victorian box social manner... ...at the same time as I am bothered over the lack of progression caused by a prematurity that seems to restrain instead of setting free.

Here we stand. But the question is where do we go from here? Because I hope for this band's own good that this is a one night stand?!

The Fratellis - A Heady Tale (ysi)