The Fratellis

A cigarette in hand and their pork-pie hats set at jaunty angles, the Fratellis are the latest raucous guitar act to emerge from the thriving Scottish rock scene. With swaggering tales of debauchery, their debut, Costello Music, may appear to be yet another Libertines-lite tour through the bohemian underworld, but buried beneath these lads' ramshackle chords is true song-writing finesse. From the staccato opening beats of "Henrietta" to the rolling steel guitar close of "Ol' Black n Blue Eyes," the album is a parade of infectious melodies.

Refreshingly—for what can often be a misogynistic genre—the Fratellis don't let contempt taint their youthful enthusiasm for love. The wistful almost-ballad "Whistle for the Choir" muses, "So if you're crazy / I don't care you amaze me," while the most irresistible track, "Chelsea Dagger," is a stomping, hip-shaking ode to the woman "dancing slowly / tugging your sleeve." Adorned with a host of la-da-da's and a chord sequence as tight as the band's skinny denim, the song easily strays into pop territory, but still manages to retain the loose exuberance that characterizes Costello. This band may have one foot in the gutter, but their gaze is fixed firmly on the charts.

- Abby McDonald
03.06.07

Brash, melodic, and imbued with a more-than-healthy sense of British rock tradition, the Fratellis and their debut album, Costello Music, come across almost like a caricature of bands like the Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things, and Arctic Monkeys -- but at least it's a flattering one. The Fratellis take themselves a lot less seriously than some of the other laddish bands popular in the U.K. in the late 2000s, and emphasize hooks and fun rather than samey-sounding rock. Songs like "Baby Fratelli" and "The Gutterati" have a singalong simplicity, and it feels like the band puts as many "la la la"s and "ba da ba"s into each song as they can -- and then try to cram in a few more. Costello Music's best tracks go even farther with the band's fun-only agenda; it's easy to hear why "Flathead" -- which switches between grinding, aggressive verses and a downright giddy chorus with more of those "ba da bop a dah" hooks -- was picked to soundtrack a fittingly day-glo, kinetic iPod TV commercial. The outstanding single "Chelsea Dagger" is just as vibrant, a swaggering glam rock nugget with pints-aloft choruses. "Henrietta"'s loopy catchiness owes a debt to vaudeville or musical comedy, and not just because Jon Fratelli sings "wa wa wa waaaahhh" along with the guitar solo; "For the Girl," meanwhile, has a melody so strong, it could've been a hit anytime between the '60s and the '90s. Elsewhere on Costello Music, the Fratellis show off their knowledge of other corners of rock history: "Vince the Lovable Stoner" is appealing faux country-rock; "Doginabag" adds some blues and grit to their sound; and "Creepin' Up the Back Stairs" nods to '50s rock and skiffle. Even when the band gets a little more complex, as on the darkly twangy "Got Ma Nuts from a Hippy," they keep the focus on rapid-fire rhythms and air guitar-ready solos. Indeed, Costello Music is so high-energy, it's almost too much to take in one sitting. Then again, this music wasn't made for sitting, it was made for dancing yourself silly. They might not have the cultural or historical impact of some of their peers, but the Fratellis are a lot of fun in the moment -- whenever that moment is. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide