Dirty Pretty Things ‎– Waterloo To Anywhere (CD + DVD)

Carl Barat's reputation as the (slightly more) responsible Libertine continues with Waterloo to Anywhere, his first album with Dirty Pretty Things. 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. They're definitely songs about leaving someone or something behind: Barat insists that "the enemy is right inside my head" over a beat that snaps and bounces, and wants to "put all the rumors to bed" on Waterloo to Anywhere's standout track, "Bang Bang You're Dead."

As their respective post-Libertines albums show, Barat is capable of being very good with Dirty Pretty Things, and Doherty is capable of occasional brilliance with Babyshambles. But, for greatness (or at least the potential for it), they need each other.

Label: Vertigo

Country: Europe

Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)