Spring Break
CD Review: Dirty Pretty Things suck
Amanda Meyer
Issue date: 2/7/07 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
02/07/07 - Dirty Pretty Things. It's a great band name, but a not-so-great band. The British post-punk revival group's latest single boasts the title, "You Fucking Love It," but you won't. In fact, you probably won't even understand enough of what they are saying to form a solid opinion on the band. The lyrics are incoherent, but you can pick up on the fact that they are British. That was probably the band's only redeeming quality.
The band's debut album, Waterloo to Anywhere, was released last May and has just recently received airplay here in the United States. Although it has yet to find its way onto American charts, the band has received better attention in the United Kingdom with the single "Bang Bang You're Dead," which reached No. 4.
The band has played with some big stars, namely The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it made its American stage debut in Austin's SXSW festival that was made popular through publicity on The Real World: Austin. While the live video clips on the band's Web site are good, it is important to remember that flashy performances do not equal a quality band.
After looking up the lyrics, I'm almost thankful that I can't understand them. They have almost no point, no deeper meaning and no substantial story or message.
Maybe I'm a bit biased; punk is really the only thing that I don't like listening to. If you're into the Brit-punk scene, this album sounds like any other. As far as I can tell, it doesn't have any unique qualities to it.
The album's most promising track is "Blood Thirsty Bastards," which makes reference to front man Carl Barat's former band The Libertines. This band broke up in 2004 due to a falling out between Barat and Pete Doherty.
The song refers to the selfishness of people and to the rumors that were created about the band, which caused Doherty to abandon his band mates. This is clearly still a sensitive issue for Barat, and the track has the most heart-felt sound on the album. These lyrics actually make sense and are even coherent compared to the rest of the album.
"You Fucking Love It" is so incredibly fast-paced that it's almost impossible to make out what is being said. But once you figure out the lyrics, the song isn't nearly as upbeat and happy as its sound would have you think.
In fact, I'm not really sure why anyone would "fucking love" the downward spiral that comes with drug addictions and prostitution. But the girl in the song certainly loves having no future and the band is all too happy to sing about it.
Maybe I'm just missing the point of punk-revival music, but as far as I can tell, Waterloo To Anywhere is nothing to go crazy over. Perhaps that's why it hasn't caught on here in the United States? And unless you want a splitting headache along with the sudden urge to be locked in a room with screaming children, I don't recommend the album.
The band's debut album, Waterloo to Anywhere, was released last May and has just recently received airplay here in the United States. Although it has yet to find its way onto American charts, the band has received better attention in the United Kingdom with the single "Bang Bang You're Dead," which reached No. 4.
The band has played with some big stars, namely The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it made its American stage debut in Austin's SXSW festival that was made popular through publicity on The Real World: Austin. While the live video clips on the band's Web site are good, it is important to remember that flashy performances do not equal a quality band.
After looking up the lyrics, I'm almost thankful that I can't understand them. They have almost no point, no deeper meaning and no substantial story or message.
Maybe I'm a bit biased; punk is really the only thing that I don't like listening to. If you're into the Brit-punk scene, this album sounds like any other. As far as I can tell, it doesn't have any unique qualities to it.
The album's most promising track is "Blood Thirsty Bastards," which makes reference to front man Carl Barat's former band The Libertines. This band broke up in 2004 due to a falling out between Barat and Pete Doherty.
The song refers to the selfishness of people and to the rumors that were created about the band, which caused Doherty to abandon his band mates. This is clearly still a sensitive issue for Barat, and the track has the most heart-felt sound on the album. These lyrics actually make sense and are even coherent compared to the rest of the album.
"You Fucking Love It" is so incredibly fast-paced that it's almost impossible to make out what is being said. But once you figure out the lyrics, the song isn't nearly as upbeat and happy as its sound would have you think.
In fact, I'm not really sure why anyone would "fucking love" the downward spiral that comes with drug addictions and prostitution. But the girl in the song certainly loves having no future and the band is all too happy to sing about it.
Maybe I'm just missing the point of punk-revival music, but as far as I can tell, Waterloo To Anywhere is nothing to go crazy over. Perhaps that's why it hasn't caught on here in the United States? And unless you want a splitting headache along with the sudden urge to be locked in a room with screaming children, I don't recommend the album.
