The Cribs, "The New Fellas"

The Cribs - The New Fellas

The Cribs' CD The New Fellas is British Indie rock at its best. Raw, energetic, and cynical, The Cribs are out to conquer the world - or at least get some free drinks while on tour.

While the rest of the music world is agog over the UK's Arctic Monkeys, The Cribs offer their own brand of powerpop on The New Fellas.

The vocalist/guitarist Ryan Jarman's voice is like Gary Numan crossed with Jonathan Richman: authentically raw with a knowing playfulness. His intentionally flat, deadpan vocal delivery—on "I'm Alright Me", "We Can No Longer Cheat You" and "Hello? Oh…"—is like an unsharpened number two pencil, and is occasionally, wonderfully "I-don't-give-a-damn" off-key.

He's joined by his brother, vocalist/bassist Gary Jarman (and a football stadium, it seems). The backup vocals work very well, often responding to the lead singer in sarcasm, contradiction, or with a basic but catchy "whoa!" The effect is like a bleacherful of schoolboys shouting a team anthem before a game—and that's a good thing. Drummer and third brother Ross completes the band.

In fact, there's a pub sing-a-long feel to many of the tracks, as with the amiable but scathing "Martell" ("How hard can it be / To get a slap on the back from a room full of morons?"), and the out-and-out piercing "I'm Alright Me" ("Oh yeah, and one more thing / Your tone is annoying"). These are the cutting observations of a band that's been performing since they were in the single digits, and it's one of The Cribs' strengths.

You'd expect the scene-weary lyrics to be depressing, but they're not. The frentic pace is uplifting, and offsets any negative vibes the lyrics may betray. One highlight is "Mirror Kissers" ("You aren't allowed to say that you're better / You aren't allowed to say that cos you're the hipster type"). "The Wrong Way to Be" showcases some of their best lyric-writing: "How someone that lives so much of their lives through other people / Could possibly have so much to say?" Another gem is the slower-paced, earnest "We Can No Longer Cheat You", which provides a momentary empathic pause in The New Fellas.

Indie music fans will love The New Fellas for its sheer exuberance, garage-band sound, and canny mix of naiveté and cynicism. It's a dead cert.

The Cribs' website has a mailing list, tour dates, a forum, and MP3 and video downloads. You can also hear some of their songs at MySpace.

Witchita Recordings

Rating: 4½/5

Highlights: "I'm Alright Me", "Mirror Kissers", "We Can No Longer Cheat You", "Hello? Oh…"

Similar to: Ash, We Are Scientists

First published on Suite 101