"Don't Look Back Into The Sun" should mark a high point in The Libertines career, a song full of the usual Libertines magic and those glorious vocal harmonies we've come to know and love from a band making a break into the conscious of the mainstream, but this stunning song serves only as a reminder of what is at stake. With things as they are in the somewhat erratic Libertines camp I can't help but feel sad every time I hear DLBITS, it would be a crime if this was the last we heard from them.
Without wanting to dwell on the problems the band are currently having, the choice of b-sides is obviously a result of them. Never a band to fob off their fans with remixes and such, this release comes backed with two new-to-us versions of tracks from debut album "Up The Bracket", "Tell The King" in its original form, and "Death On The Stairs". Though many people would say the album version of "Death On The Stairs" should be left alone, the Bernard Butler produced reworking has its merits, most notably the fact that the vocals have been made more predominant in the final mix.
CD2 boasts a demo of one of the much-talked-about-but-previously-unreleased tracks, "Skinted & Minted". "Skinted..." is another beautiful track with carefully crafted feedback and distorted, largely Doherty vocals. A long over due UK release comes for the fourth and final b-side, "Mockingbird" which has only ever been previously on the Japanese version of "Up The Bracket". Although "Mockingbird", a personal favourite of mine, has a laid back, almost jazz club mood, but it also displays some of Doherty's most powerful vocals to date, and more to the point, sees him 'squawking' magnificently.
All in all, another indispensable single by an indispensable band, lets just hope they realise this before its too late huh?
Pre-order your copy of Don't Look Back Into The Sun CD1 and CD2 here. |
