With Peter still (allegedly) in rehab and DPT in (alleged) exile, there's not much to talk about. Yes yes, the toothless "attacks" from some geriatric rockstars. Yes yes, that other idiocy circulating in the net. No, no, we're not interested. Are we?
But Delivery is starting to get reviews. For what it's worth, let's have a look at them. The first is from Drowned in Sound (by one Alex Denney):
Like England's dependably useless football team, Pete Doherty has been excused for far too long by now. The blissful shot that Up The Bracket imparted to a British music scene still reeling from the first Strokes record has been followed by a series of increasingly rotten highs, to the point where seeking to replicate the thrill feels more like chasing shadows than chasing the dragon. But, just as our national side's unflaggingly stray passes have a weird habit of pea-rolling their way into this reviewer’s affections, so each attempt to assert a bit of willpower and finally turn my back on Babyshambles for good inevitably gives way to a fit of baseless optimism with every underwhelming new release.
Rather predictably, 'Delivery', the first shot to issue forth from Babyshambles' Stephen Street-produced second album Shotter's Nation, is a game of two halves. The first, a wheezing, emphysemic rewrite of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' that's every bit as undernourished as its creator; the second, an unexpectedly lovely feint into melodic pop territory that strikes just the right redemptive note, echoing Doherty's wish that "this song might deliver me / straight from the harshness of misery". That one so abased is able to sing these lines while inhabiting an aural airspace that’s roughly the equivalent of having a mistreated puppy cling cowering to your trouser leg speaks volumes about the man's appeal: no genius he, just a chancer using his charm and gifts as a melodicist to conjure goodwill that should have run out millennia ago. Or, if you prefer, a selfish cunt who might yet come good with an experienced hand at the production desks. And for all its readily apparent flaws, 'Delivery' does not harm to that theory. Rating: 7
Rather predictably, 'Delivery', the first shot to issue forth from Babyshambles' Stephen Street-produced second album Shotter's Nation, is a game of two halves. The first, a wheezing, emphysemic rewrite of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' that's every bit as undernourished as its creator; the second, an unexpectedly lovely feint into melodic pop territory that strikes just the right redemptive note, echoing Doherty's wish that "this song might deliver me / straight from the harshness of misery". That one so abased is able to sing these lines while inhabiting an aural airspace that’s roughly the equivalent of having a mistreated puppy cling cowering to your trouser leg speaks volumes about the man's appeal: no genius he, just a chancer using his charm and gifts as a melodicist to conjure goodwill that should have run out millennia ago. Or, if you prefer, a selfish cunt who might yet come good with an experienced hand at the production desks. And for all its readily apparent flaws, 'Delivery' does not harm to that theory. Rating: 7
The second is from Audioscribbler (by Justin Melton Bradley):
Smug. That’s how I feel. Does the fact that Pete Doherty is a crack-happy toss sandwich mean he’s also not a musical genius? No, of course not. Have Babyshambles ever sounded anything like The Sex Pistols? No they fucking haven’t. Was 2005s Down in Albion one of the greatest albums ever made? Well no, I guess not. But it certainly wasn’t deserving of the poor reviews it got from the tabloid music press.Well now Babyshambles have returned with a decidedly more radio friendly single, Delivery which has shocked everyone. Well I don’t understand that. Whilst I know that no one actually buys EPs, last year’s The Blinding showcase how commercial the band could be. But Delivery is a top class track better than any of that material.Starting out like the Kinks’ You Really Got Me and continuing in an equally poppy manner throughout Doherty chants on about how much of a dick he is. “Now what use am I to anyone”, but luckily its far more uplifting when it comes to the chorus, which by now you should know off by heart. The second verse is about us, and by us I mean someone else, but importantly not about Doherty. One of the problems I had with The Blinding EP was how much Doherty felt sorry for himself. Delivery on the other hand is a deliberate deliverance from that kind of song writing. All that’s left now is to see the quality of the many b-sides that are due out. Rating: 9
And there's another good snippet: Delivery has topped the NME chart.
Check it out:
1. Babyshambles - Delivery
2 The White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
3 Maximo Park - Girls Who Play Guitars
4 Kaiser Chiefs - The Angry Mob
5 Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
6 The Pigeon Detectives - Take Her Back
7 Jack Penate - Second, Minute Or Hour
8 Cajun Dance Party - Amylase
9 The Dykeenies - Stitches
10 The Enemy - You're Not Alone
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