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| Review of "You Can't Kill Rock N Roll" from The Syracuse New Times November 7, 2001 by Gregg Yeti Though Libertine is currently on �tour-haitus,� a smashing new ep has just come out that shows Belvy K.�s glam-wave project very much alive, if at least in spirit. �You Can�t Kill Rock N Roll� (Coldfront Records) is a split release with San Francisco�s American Heartbreak, with 12 songs offered up between the two bands. As the album hits the racks this month, the Libertine project is in deep hibernation, but head-prettyboy Belvy K. is still keeping himself busy. Libertine�s 6 songs showcase a more slick and melodic sound while not entirely bailing on their Warped Tour/old school glam-punk image. Belvy�s trademark sneer is slapped all over the Libertine half of the platter, which was recorded in San Francisco during the band's 2000 U.S tour and produced by Willie Samuels (Green Day, Samiam). �You Can�t Kill Rock N Roll� shows Libertine at the height of their songwriting, with several songs that could be singles, though they would have better chart success if they could have been released during the reign of John Hughes in the 80�s. �In Heaven� reaches platitudes that may turn off fans of their previous releases who would appreciate The Clash more than �Pretty In Pink.� Whereas Libertine has always featured cues from the Psychedelic Furs & The Cure mixed in with their New York Dolls & Johnny Thunders influences, on �In Heaven� all references to any bar-room glam punk is left in the powder room in favor of a more retro Brit-rock flavor. And it is done more than well. Much of rest of the ep ups the ante laid out by their debut record �See You In The Next Life� and works to sustain their punk-leaning fans. �Catwalk� could have strutted alongside everything on the �Next Life�� album, while �Candy� is, next to �In Heaven,� one of the most catchy anthems the band has ever scribed. The pure rock n roll of American Heartbreak works as I good counterpoint for Libertine on this split album. The pair have played several gigs together in their touring past, and their sounds draw several glam-rock parallels. Heartbreak�s catchy yet gritty pop-punk works like a combination of Buck Cherry & Cheap Trick, with plenty of old-school Aerosmithian decandence thrown in for good measure. The band consists of members of 80�s metal bands such as Mordred, Jetboy & Exodus, and even a member of the Bay City Rollers(!). Though the lyrics suffer a bit of banality (a trait that never stopped bands like Kiss & Guns N Roses from being party rock favorites!), American Heartbreak�s motherlode of hooks should catch the ears of many a rock n roll fan. As for the future of Libertine, Belvy�s been collaborating off and on with a variety of people, including Love Spit Love/Psychedelic Furs guitarist Richard Fortus, D Generation guitarist Ricky Bacchus, and a revolving door of other �non-permanent� members to work on a follow-up. But, due to a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the development of Fortus becoming a major �hired gun� in the industry, the project remains shelved for the time being. For example, Fortus has recently been doing studio work with NSync, Christine Aguilera, and David Bowie�s next album. Between this and his various drumming & modeling gigs, Mr. K has not had time to work in permanent replacements and is non-committal on the bands future, saying only, �The new stuff�s really cool, really different. We�ll definitely get around to it one of these days. I couldn�t tell you whether it�ll be called Libertine or not.� Libertine�s 1999 full length �See You In The Next Life� may be headed towards a repressing as recent sales are picking up. The album�s label Substandard Records recently hooked up with a much better distributor (Mordam Records) and now that people can find the album in most stores, sales have risen. Helping this is the fact that �I Don�t Belong� from Libertine�s half of the split was recently featured in the HBO movie �Freak Talks About Sex,� starring Steve Zahn. It�s ironic that former band members Jaime Coville & Paul Lent quit Libertine just as the band was gathering serious industry momentum. �People still seem to really like the music, so that�s cool,� says Belvy. �Labels still wanna do things, that�s great too. The band�s been offered more tours, Europe again, some good stuff�but it was never going to work with that line-up, and I always kinda knew that.� In the meantime, Belvy has been spending a large amount of time in Toronto as the drummer of Lindy, a modern rock band along the same lines as Coldplay or Travis, with a previous release on EMI Records. Lindy, which is the name of the singer not the band, is currently looking for a new monicker, and the demos for their next album are garnering much attention from heavy hitters in the industry, potentially providing a very viable future. �Libertine is on indefinite hold,� Belvy says in the face of the rising potential of his new Canuck compatriots. Libertine owns a very impressive discography, with music released nationally as well as in the U.K., Europe, Australia, and Japan. The band's extensive tour history includes several Vans Warped Tours, Woodstock '99, multiple North American and European tours, and many high profile support slots (Kid Rock, Motley Crue, Joey Ramone, Third Eye Blind, Misfits, etc). More information can be found at the band�s website, http://www.libertinemusic.com, or check out more information about �You Can�t Kill Rock N� Roll� at Coldfront�s website: http://www.coldfrontrecords.com |
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