Dirty Pretty Things Albums (2)
'Romance at Short Notice'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 12
Label Universal Polska
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For most of Romance at Short Notice, Carl Barat and the rest of Dirty Pretty Things seem determined to move as far past the lingering ghosts of the Libertines and their debut album, Waterloo to Anywhere, as possible. Romance at Short Notice isn't just much more polished than the band's scrappy debut, it's also much more eclectic -- to a fault. The album crashes in on "Buzzards and Crows," a brooding manifesto against "a scene self-obsessed" embellished with carnivalesque organs, a flat-lining heart monitor, and what sounds like an angry mob; it's followed by "Hippy's Son," where Barat tears down any leftover traces of '60s peace and love with snarling invective and guitars. Then the band takes an abrupt left turn into winsome, jangly pop with "Plastic Hearts," and Romance at Short Notice never quite regains its momentum. It's admirable that Barat and crew want to explore as many approaches as possible, and just as admirable that Barat shares the singing and writing duties with bandmates Anthony Rossamundo and Didz Hammond (whose delicate ballad "The North" is a highlight), but this doesn't give Romance at Short Notice much cohesion. From song to song, Dirty Pretty Things jerk their listeners from one mood and sound to another, never quite finding a thread to tie it all together. Despite the album's lack of focus, the majority of Romance at Short Notice's songs are good in their own right. A few of them even achieve the progression that the band tries so hard for: "Kicks or Consumption" and "Best Face"'s punk-funk put a finer point on the fury that ignited the album; "Faultlines" manages to be pretty and dissonant at the same time; and "Truth Begins" touches on the anthemic side of Barat's work with the Libertines without rehashing it entirely. Romance at Short Notice's only true stumble is, unfortunately, one of its singles: "Tired of England" sounds like Paul Weller backed by the Smiths, but its lyrics about a utopian London have just a fraction of the wit and social commentary that such a would-be collaboration implies, and considering the more critical tone of some of the album's other songs, it feels out of place. Then again, so many of Romance at Short Notice songs seem disconnected from each other that perhaps this shouldn't be a surprise. Dirty Pretty Things move their music forward with this album, but they've sacrificed their clarity to achieve that. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Carl Barat's reputation as the (slightly more) responsible Libertine continues with Waterloo to Anywhere, his first album with Dirty Pretty Things, which also features former Libs drummer Gary Powell and guitarist Anthony Rossamundo, who filled in for Pete Doherty on the Libertines' last few tours. The album plays like a cleaner, slightly more straightforward version of the mod-punk Barat contributed to his former band: tightly engineered blasts of sound like "Deadwood" and the limber, bouncy "Doctors & Dealers" get the album off to an impressive start, which should please Libertines fans burned out on Doherty's seemingly endless vicious cycle of arrests and addiction -- and, more importantly, on Babyshambles' erratic performances on stage and in the studio. The snarling wit that Barat brought to the Libertines is also in full force on Waterloo to Anywhere, particularly on the songs Barat claims aren't about his ex-bandmate, but "Evil Carl," aka his own negative traits and demons from when the Libertines were still around. They're definitely songs about leaving someone or something behind: Barat insists that "the enemy is right inside my head" over a beat that snaps and bounces, and wants to "put all the rumors to bed" on Waterloo to Anywhere's standout track, "Bang Bang You're Dead." But, though the album is almost nothing but stomping rockers and Dirty Pretty Things' energy never flags, it feels a little too predictable. The second half of the album particularly suffers from samey songwriting (although the final track, "Last of the Small Town Playboys," is a notable exception), and it's all too tempting to replace Waterloo to Anywhere's less-impressive tracks with the handful of coherent songs from Babyshambles' Down in Albion for a would-be Libertines reunion. Barat's music doesn't have the baggage associated with Doherty's brooding, poetic aspirations, but it doesn't quite have the same impact, either. As their respective post-Libertines albums show, Barat is capable of being very good with Dirty Pretty Things, and Doherty is capable of occasional brilliance with Babyshambles. But, for greatness (or at least the potential for it), they need each other. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
