The Fratellis "In Your Own Sweet Time" (2018)

In Your Own Sweet Time
release date: Mar. 16, 2018
format: vinyl (LTD. orange vinyl) / digital (11 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Tony Hoffer
label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Stand Up Tragedy" (4 / 5) (Jon Fratelli solo acoustic) - 2. "Starcrossed Losers" - 6. "I've Been Blind" - 7. "Laughing Gas" (Jon Fratelli solo acoustic)

5th studio album by Scottish trio The Fratellis following a little more than 2½ years after the 2015 album Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied is much to the usual, music exclusively composed by vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli (aka John Paul Lawler) who is also credited as keyboardist.
Where the 2015 album revealed a more laid-back and less garage rock-styled collection of songs, this new album brings back the prolific energy of the debut, which may coincide with the fact that they have brought back the producer of that album, Tony Hoffer, although, he also produced the band's 2015 album.
I easily find it the band's second-best album, much alongside We Need Medicine from 2013, but this has more of the original simplicity that characterised the band's first album, and then there's a stronger glam rock sensation that makes you understand the importance of one Mr. Marc Bolan.
Highly recommended.
[ 👎allmusic.com 3 / 5, 👍PopMatters, Spill Magazine 3,5 / 5, Express 4 / 5 stars ]

2018 Favourite releases: 1. Jon Hopkins Singularity - 2. The Fratellis In Your Own Sweet Time - 3. Robyn Honey

The Fratellis "Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied" (2015)

Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied
release date: Aug. 21, 2015
format: digital (18 x File, FLAC) (Deluxe Edition)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Tony Hoffer
label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Impostors (Little by Little)" - 3. "Baby Don't You Lie to Me!" - 4. "Desperate Guy" - 5. "Thief" - 8. "Slow" - 12. "Down the Road and Back… Again" (bonus track)

4th studio album by The Fratellis follows two years after the fine We Need Medicine (Oct. 2013). Like the debut album Costello Music (Sep. 2006) this is produced by American producer Tony Hoffer who has co-composed all songs here with Jon Fratelli. The standard album count 11 tracks with a total running time reaching 45 minutes. The 'Deluxe Edition' adds another 7 tracks of which 5 are acoustic (demo) versions of tracks from the album clocking in at more than 70 minutes.
The album may feature Hoffer back with the band, but the usual dynamics are not really there. It's the band's so far most introspective and least energetic release, and I don't find that the songs have enough quality to equal the band's former releases. In fact, I find that Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied reminds me much of Here We Stand (Jun. 2008) as the band's lowest point. The acoustic versions don't raise the quality bar as such but they do demonstrate a certain authenticity of hidden potential in drafts to finished songs that could've been arranged in other ways. Track #11 "Moonshine" is not a song that appeals much to my taste but the acoustic version (track #18) just performs a lot better.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, NME, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

The Fratellis "We Need Medicine" (2013)

We Need Medicine
release date: Oct. 7, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Jon Fratelli, Stuart McCredie
label: BMG - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 2. "This Old Ghost Town" (4 / 5) (studio performance) - 4. "Seven Nights Seven Days" (studio performance) - 6. "Whisky Saga" - 10. "Rock 'n' Roll Will Break Your Heart"

3rd studio album release by The Fratellis following more than five years after We All Stand (Jun. 2008) - a period which saw front figure and songwriter Jon Fratelli (aka John Paul Lawler) busy testing other musical projects. He founded the duo Codeine Velvet Club with vocalist Lou Hickey, and together they released the chamber pop / baroque pop-album Codeine Velvet Club (Dec. 2009) after which Lawler then released his solo debut Psycho Jukebox in 2011, which sounds more like what could've been a band effort by The Fratellis as he is the undisputed driving force as songwriter, composer, guitarist and lead vocalist.
I really enjoyed the debut Costello Music (Sep. 2006) and for some reason I didn't listen to their second album before after this one. However, this brand new one feels much like a natural follow-up the strong debut - refreshingly direct in a mild alt. rock-garage rock-indie rock-kind of style. One could argue that they don't contribute with much new, that the musical purpose with a bunch of simple uptempo and energetic compositions may be hard to fully appreciate... 'cause lots of other music is similar to that, but I also find that the music by The Fratellis kind of grows on you, if you let the tunes play more than a few times. It's perfect background noise for painting the house - actually, pretty good music for working, although, I find that it lacks a few more really fine songs, and then you just have to hand it to Jon Fratelli - his absolutely brilliant in creating new sing-a-long chorus lines with indie rock harmonies.
Recommended
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Mojo 3 / 5 stars ]

The Fratellis "Here We Stand" (2008)

Here We Stand
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 ]

The Fratellis "Costello Music" (2006)

Costello Music [debut]
release date: Sep. 11, 2006
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Tony Hoffer
label: Fallout Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Henrietta" (live on later) - 2. "Flathead" (4 / 5) - 3. "Cuntry Boys & City Girls" - 5. "Chelsea Dagger" (live on later) - 6. "For the Girl" (4 / 5) (AOL live session) (acoustic) (acoustic live) - 8. "Creepin Up the Backstairs" (AOL live session) - 10. "Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night"

Studio album debut by Scottish Glasgow trio The Fratellis consisting of vocalist & guitarist Jon Fratelli (aka John Paul Lawler), bassist & backing vocalist Barry Fratelli (aka Barry Wallace) and drummer, percussionist & backing vocalist Mince Fratelli (aka Gordon McRory). The album is released on the Island Records' sublabel Fallout, and all songs are credited the band, although, on later albums Jon Fratelli is credited for the majority of the band's compositions.
This is fine alt. rock, indie rock, or garage rock revival somewhat related to another Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand, only, I think this is ever so much more direct and less pretentious, and I really like their retro references to music of the great British invasion beat combined with garage rock. Sometimes the style is more alt. rock like Arctic Monkeys but mostly it's just The Fratellis... not so much fuss, just the fun of it, and that's actually quite nice, and this is their only and best album, so far.
[ allmusic.com, NME 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Show lyrics <- click...

~ ~ ~
"For The Girl"

"La la la la la la........

Well she said I know but I just cant tell
Everything you've just been saying
Lucy was there as well in the dark
The kids in the band were playing

No-one can hear a word or tell
What the girl was singing
See she must've been 16 or 18
I'm just past caring

She was into the Stones when
I was into the Roses
She was breaking my bones when
I was bursting their noses
She would tell me a secret
I would lose it the next day
Young love pleases you easy
Makes you sick in a bad way

And all the while the girls sang
La la la la and she sang
Kickings for my sweetheart
Bruises that I just don't miss

And she said "I can't love you anymore than this!"

La la la la la la la...............
La la la la la la la...............

Aw she said she said no no no no
Then again yes why don't you kill me
He asked him why you messed up right there
Sweetheart you know that don't thrill me
Said I would've been there for if you had been a little bit nicer
I was dead by Sunday half dead scared just trying to please her

She getting the pills when
I was into her best friend
She was chasing the thrills
And living down at the West End
she was pretty in braces
I lived under her window
She said take me to London
Tell me something I don't know

And all the while the girls sang
La la la la she sang
Kickings for my sweetheart
Bruises that I just don't miss

And she said "I can't love you anymore than this!"

La la la la la.....
La la la la la.....
La la la la la.....

She was into the Stones when
I was into the Roses
She was breaking my bones when
I was bursting their noses
She would tell me a secret
I would lose it the next day
Young love pleases you easy
Makes you sick in a bad way
And all the while the girls sang
La la la la she sang
Kickings for my sweetheart
Bruises that I just don't miss

And she said I don't like you
You can't stand me
I can't love you anymore than this"

~ ~ ~