Imagine
my surprise when I put ‘Hurricane Bar’ into
the CD player, and found
it was, in fact, the third LP from The Libertines. Where
the hell did this
come from? It just snuck out of nowhere. No press coverage.
No
announcements. No promotion. Nothing. I was left quite perplexed
–
especially with the hubbub surrounding the second album.
Did Peter and
Carlos finally get it back together? They must have done,
because this is
unmistakably the sound of that feisty London four piece
we’ve grown to know
and love.
But who’s this on vocals? It’s not Carlos.
It’s not Peter. It’s not John,
Gary, nor is it that bloke who filled in for Peter over
the summer. His
voice sounds familiar though… who is it? I know!
It’s the lead vocalist for
(poor-man’s-Razorlight) Dogs. They must have gotten
in a guest vocalist for
the explosive opener ‘Cut The Rope’. Interesting.
But wait… isn’t this the
Dogs guy on ‘You Can’t Steal My Love’
as well? He’s on ‘Clean Town’ as well.
And ‘God Knows’. Maybe it says something about
the solution to this vocal
mystery on the case…
Now imagine my surprise as I learnt that ‘Hurricane
Bar’ isn’t the new The
Libertines LP at all, but is instead the UK debut album
from Swedish indie
punks Mando Diao. The confusion can easily be made between
the two bands.
Both bands have that same guitar intertwining, homemade,
cockney sound about
them. However, there’s something subtly different
about Mando Diao.
Remember when you went to Leeds or Reading, and there
was this huge air of
importance surrounding one particular set: that of The
Libertines? Then,
there were all those rumours about how Peter had reconciled
with Carlos, and
everything was right in the world again – and then
Carlos, Gary and John
walked on stage, and Peter was no where to be seen. Remember
that? Remember
how the air of importance somehow changed into an air
of disappointment?
Somehow Mando Diao have managed to capture this exact
sound.
It’s not that there’s anything bad with what
Mando Diao are doing. They’ve
got a collection of volatile, fiery numbers; each containing
explosive drums
and bass, intertwining screeching guitar, and gritty vocals.
It’s just that
the magic isn’t there. A Swedish version of The
Libertines wouldn’t work in
the same way that an English version of The Hives wouldn’t
work. What is
present through the album though, is a collection of punchy,
infectious
hooks, and ambitious choruses, making up a selection of
fourteen melodic
should-be anthems.
Released on the 7th of March, the album probably won’t
head straight to
number one like The Libertines did with their self-titled
second album, but
there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. I’d
like it to – it definitely has the
hooks to get anyone humming along to it. If the whole
album sales thing was
based on musical ability, then Mando Diao should do just
as well as the
Libertines have with either of their releases. But it’s
unlikely. Maybe if
band member Gustaf Noren was to embark on a path of self-destruction
and
become a drug addict, or maybe if the yin to has yang
(the Peter to his
Carlos) Bjorn Dixgard was to roll around in horse sh*t
in front of the
governmental buildings in Stockholm, then they’d
get half the attention The
Libertines have, but alas, it’s not to be the case.
‘Hurricane Bar’ is an intriguing album, which
offers more after each listen.
It doesn’t present anything different to what you
might have heard before.
It’s not a huge step on from any of their early
demos or Swedish releases.
Nor is it a huge difference from any band playing in London
right now. It
is, however, highly recommended to the avid cockney post-punk
fan, and is
the finest thing to come out of Sweden since ‘Tyrannosaurus
Hives’.
Summary: Swedish Libertines’ UK debut that probably
won’t do as well as it
should.
Rating: 7/10 – because I’m feeling in a generous
Libertine mood
