Album Review: The Fratellis 'We Need Medicine' Fails to Stand Up to Musical Standard of The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys [FULL ALBUM STREAM]

A slew of bands in the UK popped up in the wake of The Libertines, inspired by the no-nonsense attitude Pete Doherty and Carl Barat took to music. Nothing was necessary but a guitar, a bass, a drum and a snarky attitude. One group that read from the book of Libertines is The Fratellis, an alternative outlet from Glasgow, Scotland.

The Fratellis never experienced quite as much success as their peers and have a rocky history. After experiencing the taste of a big hit with its first record Costello Music and single "Flathead," its second album Here We Stand failed to make a mark commercially or critically, leading to the band's breakup during 2009.

The Fratellis reunited last year to very little fanfare and have now released its third record, We Need Medicine, a watered-down version of what the British alternative rock scene used to be, and a less tight version of themselves.

We Need Medicine begins with "Halloween Blues," a track that captures the essence of why this album falls flat. The song begins with a classic blues riff and a rolling drumbeat, building up to something that should be punchy and hard-hitting. However, when the song finally gets rolling, the sense of pure, urgent power and emotion is missing. The song is slightly catchy but fails to pack the energy of the band's earlier music.

This is a running theme on We Need Medicine. After being built up with big intros, most songs eventually fall flat. "Seven Nights Seven Days" and "Jeannie Nitro" are disappointing, dull tracks, but begin with explosions of sound.

The track that most disappointingly follows this format is "Whisky Saga." The track begins with an intriguing, shuffling guitar riff and snappy drums, reminiscent of the stellar Costello Music track "Creepin Up The Backstairs." However, after 20 seconds, the intriguing riff is dropped for generic vocal patterns and guitar work that fails to be memorable enough to keep writing about.

If there needs to be a highlight on this album, it may be the title track. Frontman Jon Fratelli sings his heart out on the track, giving the album its only real feel of passion. The singsong melody is instantly catchy, and this song would absolutely shine in a live setting. The instrumentation underneath is simple enough to let the vocal patterns truly shine through, but a funky acoustic guitar solo midway through the track shows this band still has some musical chops.

Unfortunately, those chops aren't seen during the majority of We Need Medicine. In the previously mentioned Libertines-less world, there are followers who execute this style of music with a solid punch and original attitude. If you need an awesome British rock album this year, go find Arctic Monkeys' AM instead.