DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
‘Waterloo to anywhere’
With Pete Doherty clearly out of the picture and most probably also his head, the arrival of Dirty Pretty Things’ debut album pretty much declares The Libertines’ reign well and truly over. “Out with the old and in with the new” is possibly a close enough sum-up of what sprung Carl Barat’s new combo into existence late last year, but the fact that he has held on to fellow Libertines Gary Powell and Anthony Rossomando will surely go down a treat with Libertines fans who were not so smitten by the Babyshambles album!
With ex-Cooper Temple Clause bassist Didz Hammond completing the new line-up, Dirty Pretty Things’ first offering is a rough diamond. It is brimming with brilliant tunes, the most prominent being opening track Deadwood and forthcoming single Wondering, but what lifts it up above many of its peers is the energy and confidence at the heart of each brash tune. It remains very much a garage rock album (early Clash albums spring to mind) and there will be those who insist that Waterloo To Anywhere still bears some likeness to The Libertines’ imprint. However, it serves up vital helpings of attitude and vigour that prove only too well that Barat has not only overcome any and all of his setbacks but also delivered one of this year’s best albums!
Rating: 4.5
CD COURTESY OF EXOTIQUE
TOBY
Dig kinda life
The first thing that strikes you about Digi Kinda Life, Toby’s new album, is how different he sounds compared to the fresh-faced vibe of 2003’s Journey Beyond The Sun. During the relatively short time since his debut, the young Maltese DJ/producer has, through working on a variety of projects, acquired much more experience and a broader sense of vision. Composing, recording and producing the soundtrack to Angli, remixing William Mangion’s Cloud single, writing the theme tune to Net TV’s Virus and handling the audio production and musical score for historical documentary The George Cross are just four of them. His weekly radio show on Bay 89.7 has also been a vital source of inspiration, but what really makes Toby tick is the studio, and you can feel it in every one of the 14 tracks on offer here.
Sidestepping the breezier house groove of his debut, Toby’s second outing relies on heavier doses of breakbeat, open forays into electro-lite and a fair share of melodic grooves, the result being a blend that is chilled in places, funky in others, but a 100 per cent groovy all over. Opening track Away on Three Hills for example, is a great example of both, but it’s the meatier cuts, such as Greedy For Life, Nitty Gritty, God Made Me Funky, Get Up and Queen of Funk that give this record much of its energy. On the other hand, the fact that new single, On Your Mind isn’t quite your stereotypical catchy tune is possibly a pointer that Toby’s scope has indeed extended way beyond club country and rooted itself deeper into the composition and experimentation of tracks like Cover Your Eyes and closing track From The City!
Rating: 4
CD COURTESY OF WWW.TOBYMUSIC.NET