Babyshambles, BABYSHAMBLES, BabyShambles, or Baby Shambles, which is it, then? All of the above, apparently. This aptly named and very British band is a spinoff from The Libertines, created by precocious bad boy Pete Doherty in 2003. With The Libertines, he recorded "the Babyshambles sessions" at the Hotel Chelsea (Manhattan) in April 2003, which are now floating around the internet.
Doherty, perhaps better known in the USA for his romantic association with millionaire supermodel Kate Moss, has a reputation for creativity and drug-induced chaos; his unreliable behavior led to fellow Libertines front-man Carl Barât kicking him out of the band. Barât disbanded the Libertines in December 2004 after the release of two albums. Well-received in Europe, neither The Libertines nor Babyshambles have scratched the surface in the USA.
Babyshambles' first album, Down in Albion (2005), reminds me very much of The Kinks, especially during their "English period," 1960s-1970s. Throw in a bit of The Clash (the album was produced by Mick Jones formerly of The Clash), The Cure, The Stone Roses, and The Smiths, and you might get a hint of their sound.So far, I'm not hearing anything as catchy as some of The Kinks' early hits, but three singles from the album made it to the top ten of the British pop charts, with the album reaching top ten, as well. There are a lot of tracks to absorb, and it's growing on me.
"La Belle et la Bête" ("Beauty and the Beast") includes backing vocals by Kate Moss -- she sings as well as Dougherty in that punky kind of way. "32nd of December" has a catchy opening, and I can't shake "Pipedown," the fifth track, which keeps looping hauntingly through my head. "Pentonville" is an effective reggae number, "What Katy Did Next" is funny (also reggae-tinged), and "Albion" is back to the Kinks' milieu.
Despite heroin addiction, no-shows, riots, arrests and other troubles, Pete Doherty continues to captain Babyshambles, with "Janie Jones" due out on Halloween, a 5-track EP and and album due by the end of 2006 or early 2007. With Kate Moss still in the mix, stay tuned.
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
Bon Voyage!
3 comments:
Great band. I love Pete Doherty.
I'm British, and haven't fallen for the band yet, though Up The Bracket by The Libertines were a reet good choon. And if they are Kinks-like good. But I worry about them being plain derivative. Are they? I really should give them a chance.
Classic name: did you have Babycham in the US?Canada?
Look in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babycham
The name suits them!
Keep going Erik - good stuff!
Thanks y'all for the comments.
Richard, no Babycham in the US that I know of, but Canada's right next store. . . Plain derivative? Yes, pretty derivative, actually. An amalgam. I think it was Ozzy who said: "We are all thieves." We'll see what's in the pipeline next.
Cheers,
E'
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