Inutile sottolineare quale sia il motivo di maggior interesse per questa nuova opera dei The Cribs da Wakefield (West Yorkshire): nella cabina di produttore, per l'occasione, ha preso posto niente-popò-di-meno-che mr. Alex Kapranos, frontman e voce dei quotati Franz Ferdinand.
I tre fratelli Jarman (due gemelli, Gary e Ryan, ed un fratello minore, Ross) non sono comunque di primissimo pelo: questo "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever" è il loro terzo full lenght dopo l'esordio eponimo ed il secondo album "The New Fellas", l'uno del 2004 e l'altro dell'anno successivo.
Scoperti dalla Wichita Records, hanno partecipato al Rock'N'Roll Riot Tour (assieme a Maximo Park e Kaiser Chiefs) ed aperto alcuni concerti agli ottimi Death Cab For Cutie.
Sin dai tempi dei primi due lavori, il loro sound è accostabile a certe garage bands quali Mando Diao e The Strokes (soprattutto quest'ultimi); c'è da precisare, di conseguenza, che l'apporto in sede di produzione di Kapranos non ha affatto "franzferdinizzato" il sound dei tre Jarman.
Registrato a Vancouver, il nuovo disco è il primo ad essere inciso per una major. Ma le sorprese non finiscono qua: oltre a Kapranos, nel brano "Be Safe" (il migliore dell'intero album, con una parte vocale vicinissima al parlato che si posa su atmosfere pesanti e plumbee) c'è un'altra collaborazione eccellente, quella con il co-fondatore dei Sonic Youth Lee Ranaldo.
"Men's Needs" (divertente ed assolutamente imperdibile il videoclip) è un singolo riuscito ed orecchiabile, in pieno Strokes style, e rappresenta appieno la quasi totalità dell'album; come tutte le canzoni componenti il disco, non supera i canonici tre minuti e mezzo di durata. Anche la voce del cantante, in più punti, esce à la Casablancas. La sostenuta opener "Our Bovine Public" lancia bordate neppure troppo velate alla critica musicale, ma non è una novità, perlomeno in terra d'Albione. Ci si discosta dai succitati modelli solo in due o tre occasioni, tra cui "I'm Realist", che evoca cose più alla Paul Smith (Maximo Park) che alla Julian Casablancas, e la conclusiva "Shoot The Poets", quadretto acustico oggettivamente splendido.
Un bell'album, questo "Men's...", piacevole e strapieno di melodie azzeccate; a tratti eccessivamente derivativo, ma francamente valido e suonato più che bene.
Buona la prima da producer, quindi, per il buon Kapranos, aspettando l'atteso ritorno alla casa madre.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Our Bovine Public (02:18)
didn't think I'd have to choose
didn't think I'd wear brown shoes
didn't think that I'd ever have to read about this in the news
you gonna have a go
well I don't want to know
I just thought that I should try and say hello to those who'd
never exist without being generic
you have to impress our bovine public
you'd never exist if you wasn't generic
you have to impress our bovine public
I'll never forget how all this begun
and I will never regret a thing I have done but
you would never exist without us
so maybe I do not have the time for other friends of mine
a year's a long time be doing nothing with your life
I heard you felt alert
well I'm hoping that it hurt
cos you played too much silent grammar
to be ground in to the dirt by those who'd
never exist without being generic
you'll have to impress our bovine public
you'd never exist if you wasn't generic
you'll have to impress our bovine public
I'll never forget how all this begun
and I will never regret a thing I have done
but you would never exist without us
so maybe I do
well you say nothing
so you'll always mean nothing to me
and if what you say means nothing
then what you say will always mean nothing to me
d'you think I have the time for other friends of mine
a year's a long time be doing nothing with your life
I heard you felt alert
well I'm hoping that it hurt
cos you played too much silent grammar
to be ground into the dirt by those
who'd never exist without being generic
you have to impress our bovine public
you'd never exist if you wasn't generic
you'll have to impress our bovine public
I'll never forget how all this begun
and I will never regret the one thing I've done
but you would never exist without us
so maybe I do
02 Girls Like Mystery (02:51)
There’s not much to say for me
That's okay you know that girls like mystery
They’ll know all the things I’ve read
That’s ok don’t necessarily make it bad
Leave me alone
I'm just your enemy
I’ve seen it all
I’ve seen your jealousy
They say love me till then end
They only see me as a friend
You leave a lot to be desired
I don't care if I'm desired
They say love me till then end
They only see me as a friend
You leave a lot to be desired
I never wanna be desired
There’s not much to say for me
that's okay you know that girls like mystery
Keep your clothes as your dignity
After all it's only two years history
Leave me alone
I'm just your enemy
I’ve seen it all
I’ve seen your jealousy
They say love me till then end
they only see me as a friend
You leave a lot to be desired
I never wanna be desired
They say love me till then end
they only see me as a friend
You leave a lot to be desired
I don't care if I'm desired
They say love me till then end
They only see me as a friend
You leave a lot to be desired
I never wanna be desired
03 Men's Needs (03:18)
Have you noticed,
I've never been impressed
By your friends from New York and London?
I'll level, accusations like the press'
til you realise that you've dressed yourself in tatters
Because the man's needs,
man's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs, man's needs
Are lost on me
A man's needs, man's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs
I'm not bothered, what you say,
or how you dress
I'm a mess, so you've always seemed inviting
But really, this all seems quite meaningless
And I remember, that you never seem to see
The fact that men's needs, men's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs, man's needs
Are lost on me
A girl's needs, girl's needs
Just don't agree, just don't agree
With a man's needs
Have you noticed, I've never been impressed
By your friends from New York and London?
But really,
this all seems quite meaningless
And I remember, that you never seem to see
The excuse that men's needs,
men's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs, man's needs
Are lost on me
You say your man's needs, man's needs
Have lots in me,
I don't agree
A man's needs
Oh-oh! Oh-oh!
04 Moving Pictures (03:12)
You'll sleep tonight
Dream dreams where I would die
It's alright, it's alright
They did not come true
Although they will do, in time
It's alright, it's alright
Fakes, liars and stars of moving pictures
What's the difference?
Like all the parts that I'm not into
But I see in you
Not real brown eyes look into mine
But I was so shy
It's alright
You'll sleep tonight
Dream dreams where I would die
It's alright, it's alright
Fakes, liars and stars of moving pictures
What's the difference?
Like all the parts that I'm not into
But I see in you
Guarded thoughts
Firing off
Parting shots
Missing lots
Guarded thoughts
Firing off
Parting shots
Missing lots
Liars, fakes and stars of moving pictures
What's the difference?
Like all the parts that I'm not into
But I see in you
06 Major's Titling Victory (02:48)
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no and
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no ...
Because of M.T.
Because of M.T.V
Because I'm empty
Because of M.T.V oh no
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no
Because of M.T.
Because of M.T.V oh no
Because I'm empty
Because of M.T.V oh no
Because of M.T.
Because of M.T.V oh no
Because I'm empty
Because of M.T.V oh no
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no
I, I, I, I can't find time for her oh no
Because of M.T.
Because of M.T.V oh no
Because I'm empty
Because of M.T.V oh no
Because of M.T.
Because of M.T.V oh no
Because I'm empty
Because of M.T.V oh no ARRRRRRGGGGGH!!!!
08 I've Tried Everything (02:48)
I was born in 'The Merrie City'
I've been trying to get out of it
Nothing's changed since the 1950's
I'm surprised all the time what I find out
There must be something more
Can't figure it out
Still missing something
and I've tried everything
Love is a lie
Attraction, an instinct
Believe what you like, you decide
But I still think that
There must be something more
Can't figure it out
Still missing something
and I've tried everything
Three months ago
I ran to Brighton
It didn't solve anything... no
I thought it would not be a problem
But I found out the night we rode the Circle Line
It had to happen sometime
I thought it would not be a problem
But I found out the night we rode the Circle Line
It had to happen sometime
And though you knew nowt about it
You could pick up on signs
Like being too polite
And unassertive 'cos I'm
Still missing something
and I've tried everything
09 My Life Flashed Before My Eyes (03:32)
The wrong time, the wrong place
Your talent scouts my lonely face
Of all the things i can't replace
Your talent scouts my lonely face
Yeah
Well it's alright, although i know you lied
I don't mind
It's alright, although i know you lied
I don't mind
The wrong time, the wrong place
Your talent scouts my lonely face
Of all the things i can't escape
Your talent scouts my lonely face
Yeah
Well i'm alright, although i know you lied
I don't mind
If my life flashed before my eyes
Do you think I'd mind?
No
And now, you don't need mine
You let us down
You watched us die
Now, I hang around
With people i don't even know
10 Be Safe (05:54)
One of those fucking awful black days
When nothing is pleasing and everything that happens
Is an excuse for anger
An outlet for emotions stockpiled, an arsenal, an armour
These are the days when I hate the world
Hate the rich, hate the happy
Hate the complacent, the TV watchers
Beer drinkers, the satisfied ones
Because I know I can be all of those little hateful things
And then I hate myself for realizing that
There's no preventative, directive or safe approach for living
We each know our own fate
We know from our youth how to be treated
How we'll be received, how we shall end
These things don't change
You can change your clothes
Change your hairstyle, your friends, cities, continents
But sooner or later your own self will always catch up
Always it waits in the wings
Ideas swirl but don't stick
They appear but then run off like rain on the windshield
One of those rainy day car rides, my head implodes
The atmosphere in this car, a mirror of my skull
Wet, damp, windows dripping and misted with cold
Walls of grey, nothing good on the radio, not a thought in my head
I know a place we can go where you'll fall in love so hard that
You'll wish you were dead
Let's take life and slow it down incredibly slow
Frame by frame
With two minutes that take ten years to live out
Yeah, let's do that
Telephone poles like praying mantis against the sky
Metal arms outstretched
So much land travelled, so little sense made of it
It doesn't mean a thing, all this land laid out behind us
I'd like to take off into these woods and get good and lost for a while
I'm disgusted with petty concerns
Parking tickets, breakfast specials
Does someone just have to carry this weight?
Abstract typography, methane covenant
Linear gospel, Nashville sales lady, stocky emissary
Torturous lice, mad Elizabeth
Chemotherapy bullshit
I know a place we can go where you'll fall in love so hard that
You'll wish you were dead
The light within you shines like a diamond mine
Like an unarmed walrus, like a dead man face down on the highway
Like a snake eating its own tail
A steam turbine, frog pond
Two full closets burst open in disarray, soap bubbles in the sun
Hospital death bed, red convertible, shopping list, blowjob
Deaths head, devils dancing, bleached white buildings, memory
Movements, the movie unpeeling, unreeling, about to begin
I know a place we can go where you'll fall in love so hard that
You'll wish you were dead
I've seen your hallway, you're a darn call away
I've hear your stairs creak, I can fix my mind on your yes
And your no, I'll film your face today in the sparkling canals
All red, yellow, blue, green brilliance and silver Dutch reflection
Racing thoughts, racing thoughts, all too real
You're moving so fast now, I can't hold your image
This image I have of your face by the window
Me standing beside you, arm on your shoulder
A catalogue of images, flashing glimpses, then gone again
I’m tethered to this post you’ve sunk in me
And every clear afternoon now I'll think of you, up in the air
Twisting your heel, your knees up around me, my face in your hair
You scream so well, your smile so loud, it still rings in my ears
I know a place we can go where you'll fall in love so hard that
You'll wish you were dead
Inhibition, distant, tired of longing
Clean my teeth, stay the course
Hold the wheel, steer on to freedom
Open all the boxes, open all the boxes
Open all the boxes, open all the boxes
Times Square midday, newspaper buildings, news headlines going around
You watch as they go and hope for some good ones
Those tree shadows in the park they're all whispering, chasing leaves
Around six PM, shadows across the cobblestones
Girl in front of bathroom mirror
As she slowly and carefully and paints her face green, mask-like
Like Matisse, "Portrait with Green Stripe"
Long shot through apartment window
A monologue on top but no girl in shot
The light within me shines like a diamond mine
Like an unarmed walrus, like a dead man face down on the highway
Like a snake eating its own tail
A steam turbine, frog pond
Two full closets burst open in disarray, soap bubbles in the sun
Hospital death bed, red convertible, shopping list, blowjob
Deaths head, devils dancing, bleached white buildings, memory
Movements, the movie unreeling, about to begin
That was great by me
Yeah? Mine were alright. Wasn't my best one but who cares?
That's the spirit
11 Ancient History (04:50)
Laid my cards on the table
So she could see the light
My efforts went wasted
Due to fallen night...
And I know
But by the end of the evening
I was in no doubt
Of all of the things
That you could live without
And i know...
I drag up ancient history
Hope that they'll forgive me
They had nothing but ego's
But they would multiply
All the reasons that i would try
That i know...
To be making it harder to be seen but oh,
Is it too much to ask for to be left alone?
Yeah i know
I drag up ancient history
Hope that they'll forgive me
Laid my cards on the table
so she could see the light
my efforts went wasted
due to fallen night
and i know...
I drag up ancient history
Hope that they'll forgive me
Margaret Hammond
Haemorrbaged in the merrie city
margaret hammond
die in the merrie city
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