Album Review: Waterloo To Anywhere by Dirty Pretty Things

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.

Full Review >>

Dignity is a rare commodity among rock stars. They don't act with dignity, they certainly don't age with dignity and they seldom die with dignity. Indeed, rock stars seem to pride themselves on coming up with ever-more undignified ways to die: expiring of an overdose in a seedy motel while a tearful groupie shoves ice cubes up your bum, asphyxiating yourself while having some kind of perplexingly elaborate orgasm.

Full Review >>