Review Summary: A a melodic adventure for the ears the reminds one of the early days of punk.
The cribs offer a melodic and raw dose of indie/ punk to the ears of their listeners. The Cribs are not just a band but a family. The band consists of twins Ryan and Gary Jarman and their younger brother Ross. Ryan takes charge of lead-vocals and guitar, the rhythm section is made up of Gary on bass and Ryan on drums. This band of brothers really has some raw talent and a way with words as well as an incredible stage presence. Some have said that the band’s vocals are crap but since when is punk rock about a perfect pitch? Didn’t some say the same about “Bob Dylan” in the 60’s?
The Jarman brothers have played music together since a very early age exhibiting immense musical talent. The Jarmans founded “The Cribs” in 2002 but didn’t release their first album until 2004. The Wakefield, West-Yorkshire natives took advantage of the nearby city of Leeds and made their name playing clubs, bars and pubs. They eventually gained a devout following of loyal fans and currently have thousands more in the U.K., Europe and America.
“The Cribs” is the very first full length album by the Brothers Jarman and what a fantastic debut album it is. This album is full of energy and it’s hard not to dance, pogo or sing while listening. It’s one of those albums that you fall in love with at first listen.
The song’s melodies are addictively catchy and hard to forget.
The lyrics tell the story of love, lust ,heart-break, frustration ,betrayal and loneliness. They also include healthy dose of sarcasm, sensitivity and wit. Ryan Jarman’s lyrics could easily have been past journal entrees. I think that many young adults can relate with Ryan’s lyrics .
The lyrics are accompanied with plenty of “Wooaahs”, “Ohhs”,” awwws” and other Beatle-esqe background singing.
An example of “crib’s ” lyrics taken from “You are always the one”.
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“I get the feeling they got you believing
It's better to be loved than left out
But it's like you told me
It's nothing to do with acceptance
It's all about escaping
Then you heard that there's always someone
Forget the wrong one
Disregard your past
But she came with feelings too complex to be amusing
You're gonna get in trouble with that
You're gonna get in trouble with that
You're gonna struggle with that
And I know I said I needed some time alone
And I know I never seem to pick up the phone
And though you will see me with someone else
You were always the one’
This album gets a rating of 4/Excellent from me. No less because it’s a fantastic album especially for a debut. No more because it’s not the band’s best and it was slightly lacking in lyrical depth.
In Conclusion this is less polished than the bands latter work and that’s a good thing! It’s a must for the fan of melodic but raw punk.
Songs that you may want to download
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Another number
You were always the one
What about me
Direction
Musical genres that this could fall into
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Punk
Indie
Brit-pop
Bands that sound similar
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The Libertines
The Stokes (early)
The Smiths (just a bit)
The rumble Strips
The Kaiser chefs
The Macabees
