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