The Cribs Men's Needs, Woman's Needs, Whatever by: Dean Van Nguyen Mon:17-Sep-07 Label: Wichita Year: 2007 WB rating 45 out of 100

Post-punk Brit bands come a dime a dozen these days, each one riding in on a hail of NME buzz as record companies search frantically to find a follow up to the chart success of the Arctic Monkeys. The Cribs seem to fit that bill, but it will come as a surprise to many that this is actually the third album by the Jarmen brothers and the one that has garnered them the most attention in their native country (aided by the presence of Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos on production duties). It’s another batch of guitar pop songs by heavily accented English Northerners singing tales of the middle class. Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever is a competent album, but on it The Cribs are revealed to be one-trick act. It’s devoid of any of the positive musical growth expected at this stage of their career.

Bustling along with all the energy of a debut album, there is no radical departure from the sound established on their previous releases. The band’s attempt to write songs to appeal to the everyday Northern Englishman is hampered by the ineptitude of the lyrics, particularly when compared to the likes of The Libertines, Futureheads and Arctic Monkeys themselves. ‘Major Titling Victory’, for example, features the line “I can’t find time for her because of MTV” repeated throughout. It’s an attempt to tie the fickle nature of relationships and distraction of popular culture together, but it’s a little thin. Whereas an Alex Turner has been gifted with a wry sense of humour in his lyricism (“you used to get it in your fishnets/now you only get it in your nightdress” springs to mind) The Cribs lyrics seem underwritten, lacking charm or wit. The fact that none of the Jarmen brothers (who all share vocal duties) are competent vocalists doesn’t really help.

Not that The Cribs are an especially bad band – they are just a derivative, boring one. The first half of the album is full of tracks that would comfortably slide into rotation on an indie radio station without ever really impressing. Lead single ‘Men’s Needs’ opens with a speedy riff that is present throughout, and contains an especially throaty vocal. ‘Girls Like Mystery’ is a highlight, with its jaunty rhythm section and bubbly melody.

But as the album wears on The Cribs reveal themselves to be thin on inspiration with some bizarre experimentation and pilfering of superior acts. ‘Woman’s Needs’ rhythm section sounds directly lifted from The Pixies’ Doolittle era. Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo lends a spoken word vocal to ‘Be Safe’, with The Cribs providing a very Sonic Youth-y instrumental, a mismatch that leaves a bad taste. The highlight is closer ‘Shoot The Poets’, which has the group trading their electric guitars for an acoustic one, providing a welcome change of pace and hinting at a more laid back future for the group.

Despite good intentions there is nothing here that matches up to their breakthrough single, 2005’s ‘Hey Scenesters’, which suggests The Cribs have shown all they have to offer. Hey, doesn’t it seem like an awful long time ago since The Libertines?