The Fratellis - Here We Stand

It's really hard to write about Here We Stand without discussing the Fratellis' first album, Costello Music, a raucous, snarky affair. Being a popular indie-rock band is a much easier feat than it used to be, so when tunes like "Chelsea Dagger" hit the airwaves a couple of years ago, it was nice to see someone stand out from the crowd.

Fast forward to Here We Stand. The band, made up from three actual brothers named Fratelli, have taken a lot more care and thought on this outing. That might not be a good thing. Much of their swanky glam-influenced, off-the-cuff sounding britpop has given way to slickly produced arena style rock. There's plenty of well-done music here, but the question is, does it suit the Fratellis that we loved from Costello?

The answer, unfortunately, is only moderately. Tracks like "Acid Jazz Singer" and "Jesus Stole My Baby" seem to capture some of their past vibe. But tracks like "Lupe Brown" sound more like Cheap Trick, especially in their guitar work. Again, it's not necessarily bad to sound like Cheap Trick, but I'm not sure it works for this band.

Like Costello Music, this album seems to have been written with the idea of singing along with them in a bar, all of your friends hoisting pints in the air. The vocals are all clean, front and center, and full of fun.

But with almost every track I found myself thinking of another band from the 70s. "A Heady Tale" instantly recalls Paul Simon or Billy Joel. "Shameless" again, recalls Cheap Trick. There are various country, surf and rock swipes. But none to any real effect.

In the end, this isn't a bad album, they just seem to have chosen a direction that has swapped post-punk edge for 70s arena rock indulgences. You could do worse on a sophomore album. But I think what was lost on Here We Stand was the sense of playful immediacy that made Costello Music so fun.

Here We Stand will keep me around at least long enough to hear their third album though.

MP3: The Fratellis - Jesus Stole My Baby Removed at request of label

MP3: The Fratellis - Babydoll Removed at request of label

Purchase through Amazon: Here We Stand

The Fratellis