The Fratellis’ newest album, Here We Stand, is a successful follow-up to their previous album, Costello Music. But don’t listen to it with expectations that you will get a sound duplicating this previous album, because it doesn’t exactly follow the patterns of their prior musical arrangement.
Instead of the instant instrumental hooks and extremely fast paced tempo heard in Costello Music songs such as Flathead and Baby Fratelli, Here We Stand presents a steadier collaboration of instrumentals. Stepping away from their glam rock influenced style, The Fratellis stay in keeping with their Brit Pop sound, but resemble a style more along the lines of The Clash , emphasized in such songs as Look Out Sunshine and My Friend John, rather than David Bowie. The songs prove to maintain Jon Fratellis’ talent in storytelling as each song presents a different character or situation that reveals a flawed lifestyle amidst chaos. These lives depicted connect to the album cover itself as it portrays a ringleader standing in front of a circus tent, representing the idea that life is somewhat of a circus, especially understood in the lyrics of such songs as Shameless and Tell Me a Lie. I recommend this album with the disclaimer that you will not be hearing the sequel to Costello Music, but an album with a different style, that still retains The Fratellis’ roots but doesn’t mirror their previous work.
