release date: Jun. 9, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: The Fratellis
label: Island Records - nationality: Scotland, UK
Track highlights: 3. "Shameless" - 4. "Look Out Sunshine!" - 6. "Mistress Mabel" - 8. "Babydoll" (acoustic live) - 9. "Tell Me a Lie" - 11. "Lupe Brown"
2nd studio album by The Fratellis follows nearly two years after Costello Music (Sep. 2006) is the band's first and only to be released on Island Records. The band remains the same fixed trio but the album doesn't contain the same simplistic immediate electrifying power pop and garage rock-inspired compositions, however, it still made it as high as to number #5 on the UK albums chart list. Probably, all thanks to the general success of the debut, I guess. The original UK version of the album also contained the track "Jesus Stole My Baby" but this was removed from international releases.
Here We Stand contains more complex compositions with the use of orchestral arrangements, and imo, it doesn't come anywhere near the originality of the debut, and it simply appears as in lack of great tunes, and in that way really turns out like the difficult sophomore album.
After an extensive world tour the band went on a hiatus during which Jon Fratelli founded the short-lived duo-project Codeine Velvet Club after which he also released his solo album debut Psycho Jukebox (2011) before returning to write new songs for a third album by The Fratellis.
[ allmusic.com, NME 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, Spin 2,5 / 5, Blender, PopMatters 2 / 5 stars ]
