Dirty Pretty Things

This is an amazing album and shows how much the band has grown since waterloo to anywhere, if you like good music grab it up! I hope they come back to the US, I saw them live in NYC on their short US tour, buy the album and see them live they are fantastic!

Romance at Short Notice was a long time coming, and by all reports the sessions were fraught with tension; yet the finished product makes it perfectly clear that the wait and whatever difficulties the band itself ran into were worth it.

Where Waterloo to Anywhere felt more like inertia from the Libertines than anything (an inertia that resulted in an inferior album than either Libs effort, to boot), Romance at Short Notice sees DPT finding a new identity and exploring it to great success. The style of music is still similar, of course - driving beats, witty lyrics, plentiful sing-alongs, and so on - but the songwriting has taken many, many steps up from Carl Barat's floundering attempts to hold himself up without Pete Doherty in Waterloo.

What surely contributed greatly to the variety and freshness of this record is the increased creative involvement of Carl's bandmates, Anthony and Didz. As drummer Gary Powell stated on the band forums, "[they] have contributed so much material to this album [that] their standing within the band cannot be ignored" - in the most extreme cases, two of the songs on the album actually feature lead vocals by these two. Their background vocals are abundant as well (again to great success), and of course, their musicianship itself speaks for itself.

Romance at Short Notice jumps from one style to another yet maintains an unconventional sort of unity throughout - consider, for example, the oddly appropriate segue from gruff, rollicking Hippy's Son to the almost unbearably catchy Plastic Hearts, into the more conventional (but still unique; just listen to the bass-led bridge!) Tired of England. The album's high point undeniably settles at the stunning Truth Begins, a song that (arguably) tops any of Carl's previous efforts even with the Libertines.

In short, this new album from the boys of Dirty Pretty Things resounds with brilliance - these are all, from the first track to the twelfth, masterpieces of British indie. I'm not sure what the status of this album as far as domestic US release is, but do yourself a favor and pick it up if you ever get the chance - and if the boys decide to tour this side of the pond, *definitely* make the effort to see them! With songs like these in their arsenal, the experience could barely be less than sublime.

This is your typical European Indie sound however it is still catchy. Without Pete Doherty the prove they have the talent to put out a good album and hit the charts. This band has a ways to come however, I trust that they will evolve and possibly surpass all expectations. Waiting on their sophmore album to prove me correct. Keep an eye on these guys.

I started listening to Brit neo-punk-pop a few years ago and stumbled across this CD in the process. Great all the way through. Beware of frequent f-bombs, hence the warning sticker. 'Bang Bang' is probably the most successful piece on here, but there is a lot more to draw you in. Fans of Libertines, Hard-Fi, Arctic Monkeys, Babyshambles, Franz Ferdinand - - here you go.

I can honestly say that Dirty Pretty Things is better than Babyshambles. I have both 'Waterloo to Anywhere' and 'Down In Albion' and I can honestly tell you if you had to choose between the two at a store, choose the first, I went out to get Down in Albion but i didnt have enough money so I got Waterloo to Anywhere, I was not dissapointed, then I bought Down In Albion a short while later, and I feel it was short of Pete Doherty's potential. Carl barat is a genius which will be remembered long after his career comes to an end, which hopefully is not anytime soon. So go out and get Waterloo To Anywhere, you'll fall in love with it. The U.S. version does not include B.U.R.M.A. however.

I may, *perhaps*, be biased about this album for a few reasons. For one, I am a HUGE fan of Carl Barat, and, secondly, I saw them live at two separate venues, met the band at a signing, and third, Mr. Barat gave me a kiss! However, I had purchased the album as an import months beforehand and had already formed my own opinion...which was merely enhanced by my experience!

Carl hadn't released much material since The Libertines' last album, so I had been rather eager (and impatient) to hear what his new band would sound like. The album is, unfortunately, short (under 40 minutes), but all of the songs are quality tracks, and that matters a great deal more than the length of the album. "Waterloo to Anywhere" is more satisfying than Babyshambles' "Down in Albion" in many respects; none of the tracks sound out of place or mediocre. The choice of radio songs from this album has been wise, since "Bang Bang, You're Dead", "Deadwood", and "Wondering" are all catchy and enjoyable.

The most immediate contrast that I noticed with DPT over The Libertines is that all of the instruments have major roles. The Libertines was all about Pete and Carl. Though Carl is the frontman, Didz, Anthony, and Gary are all equal contributers to the music! Gary was already a good drummer in The Libertines and has gotten even better in DPT. John Hassall, bassist in The Libertines, often took a backseat to Pete and Carl's impassioned performance, so he often just went along with whatever guitar riffs they were playing. Didz, on the other hand, is in the spotlight nearly as often as Carl! Anthony is also a capable guitarist, and both him and Didz provide backing vocals on several songs. Carl was often cast aside with Pete acting like the "lead" in The Libertines. Though they both shared the responsibilities of songwriting, singing, and composing, one might've guessed that Pete was the lead from watching The Libertines' interviews, which he tended to dominate.

Though I personally feel that Pete Doherty is an amazingly talented human being, so is Carl! DPT has been Carl's chance to finally get the recognition that he deserves. At the same time, Carl lets his band-mates share the stage as well; they aren't merely accessories to "the main act". As I have seen from interviews, and from meeting him personally, Carl has a very humble nature, despite being so musically adept and charming. Though I believe that The Libertines were one of the greatest bands of the 2000s, perhaps EVER, the band would've surely fallen apart eventually, even if Carl hadn't made the decision to remove Pete from the band. Pete's increasingly cavalier attitude and unfortunate drug habit put The Libertines in horrible jeopardy, and thus it was time for Carl and Pete to go on their separate ways.

Though the import is more expensive, I think it might be preferable to this American version, as it includes one rather good extra track: BURMA! The order of tracks is different on the American version as well, for whatever reason. A certain import version also includes a concert DVD with the album, but the quality of the recording isn't that good.

Caral Barat clearly was the talent behind the Libertines--this album is crisp and edgy and full of energy; the Babyshambles work sounds sloppy and muddled-Pete Doherty is just too wasted to be cool. My favorite is "If you love a woman"--harkens back to the Stones, but an updated version with as much moxie.

This is an amazing album and shows how much the band has grown since waterloo to anywhere, if you like good music grab it up! I hope they come back to the US, I saw them live in NYC on their short US tour, buy the album and see them live they are fantastic!

Romance at Short Notice was a long time coming, and by all reports the sessions were fraught with tension; yet the finished product makes it perfectly clear that the wait and whatever difficulties the band itself ran into were worth it.

Where Waterloo to Anywhere felt more like inertia from the Libertines than anything (an inertia that resulted in an inferior album than either Libs effort, to boot), Romance at Short Notice sees DPT finding a new identity and exploring it to great success. The style of music is still similar, of course - driving beats, witty lyrics, plentiful sing-alongs, and so on - but the songwriting has taken many, many steps up from Carl Barat's floundering attempts to hold himself up without Pete Doherty in Waterloo.

What surely contributed greatly to the variety and freshness of this record is the increased creative involvement of Carl's bandmates, Anthony and Didz. As drummer Gary Powell stated on the band forums, "[they] have contributed so much material to this album [that] their standing within the band cannot be ignored" - in the most extreme cases, two of the songs on the album actually feature lead vocals by these two. Their background vocals are abundant as well (again to great success), and of course, their musicianship itself speaks for itself.

Romance at Short Notice jumps from one style to another yet maintains an unconventional sort of unity throughout - consider, for example, the oddly appropriate segue from gruff, rollicking Hippy's Son to the almost unbearably catchy Plastic Hearts, into the more conventional (but still unique; just listen to the bass-led bridge!) Tired of England. The album's high point undeniably settles at the stunning Truth Begins, a song that (arguably) tops any of Carl's previous efforts even with the Libertines.

In short, this new album from the boys of Dirty Pretty Things resounds with brilliance - these are all, from the first track to the twelfth, masterpieces of British indie. I'm not sure what the status of this album as far as domestic US release is, but do yourself a favor and pick it up if you ever get the chance - and if the boys decide to tour this side of the pond, *definitely* make the effort to see them! With songs like these in their arsenal, the experience could barely be less than sublime.

This is your typical European Indie sound however it is still catchy. Without Pete Doherty the prove they have the talent to put out a good album and hit the charts. This band has a ways to come however, I trust that they will evolve and possibly surpass all expectations. Waiting on their sophmore album to prove me correct. Keep an eye on these guys.

I started listening to Brit neo-punk-pop a few years ago and stumbled across this CD in the process. Great all the way through. Beware of frequent f-bombs, hence the warning sticker. 'Bang Bang' is probably the most successful piece on here, but there is a lot more to draw you in. Fans of Libertines, Hard-Fi, Arctic Monkeys, Babyshambles, Franz Ferdinand - - here you go.

I can honestly say that Dirty Pretty Things is better than Babyshambles. I have both 'Waterloo to Anywhere' and 'Down In Albion' and I can honestly tell you if you had to choose between the two at a store, choose the first, I went out to get Down in Albion but i didnt have enough money so I got Waterloo to Anywhere, I was not dissapointed, then I bought Down In Albion a short while later, and I feel it was short of Pete Doherty's potential. Carl barat is a genius which will be remembered long after his career comes to an end, which hopefully is not anytime soon. So go out and get Waterloo To Anywhere, you'll fall in love with it. The U.S. version does not include B.U.R.M.A. however.

I may, *perhaps*, be biased about this album for a few reasons. For one, I am a HUGE fan of Carl Barat, and, secondly, I saw them live at two separate venues, met the band at a signing, and third, Mr. Barat gave me a kiss! However, I had purchased the album as an import months beforehand and had already formed my own opinion...which was merely enhanced by my experience!

Carl hadn't released much material since The Libertines' last album, so I had been rather eager (and impatient) to hear what his new band would sound like. The album is, unfortunately, short (under 40 minutes), but all of the songs are quality tracks, and that matters a great deal more than the length of the album. "Waterloo to Anywhere" is more satisfying than Babyshambles' "Down in Albion" in many respects; none of the tracks sound out of place or mediocre. The choice of radio songs from this album has been wise, since "Bang Bang, You're Dead", "Deadwood", and "Wondering" are all catchy and enjoyable.

The most immediate contrast that I noticed with DPT over The Libertines is that all of the instruments have major roles. The Libertines was all about Pete and Carl. Though Carl is the frontman, Didz, Anthony, and Gary are all equal contributers to the music! Gary was already a good drummer in The Libertines and has gotten even better in DPT. John Hassall, bassist in The Libertines, often took a backseat to Pete and Carl's impassioned performance, so he often just went along with whatever guitar riffs they were playing. Didz, on the other hand, is in the spotlight nearly as often as Carl! Anthony is also a capable guitarist, and both him and Didz provide backing vocals on several songs. Carl was often cast aside with Pete acting like the "lead" in The Libertines. Though they both shared the responsibilities of songwriting, singing, and composing, one might've guessed that Pete was the lead from watching The Libertines' interviews, which he tended to dominate.

Though I personally feel that Pete Doherty is an amazingly talented human being, so is Carl! DPT has been Carl's chance to finally get the recognition that he deserves. At the same time, Carl lets his band-mates share the stage as well; they aren't merely accessories to "the main act". As I have seen from interviews, and from meeting him personally, Carl has a very humble nature, despite being so musically adept and charming. Though I believe that The Libertines were one of the greatest bands of the 2000s, perhaps EVER, the band would've surely fallen apart eventually, even if Carl hadn't made the decision to remove Pete from the band. Pete's increasingly cavalier attitude and unfortunate drug habit put The Libertines in horrible jeopardy, and thus it was time for Carl and Pete to go on their separate ways.

Though the import is more expensive, I think it might be preferable to this American version, as it includes one rather good extra track: BURMA! The order of tracks is different on the American version as well, for whatever reason. A certain import version also includes a concert DVD with the album, but the quality of the recording isn't that good.

Caral Barat clearly was the talent behind the Libertines--this album is crisp and edgy and full of energy; the Babyshambles work sounds sloppy and muddled-Pete Doherty is just too wasted to be cool. My favorite is "If you love a woman"--harkens back to the Stones, but an updated version with as much moxie.