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Anyone out there miss the Libertines U.K.? If so, since those London rockers fully reunited this year at long last for the big 2010 Reading and Leeds festivals, one could slip this album into the player at your next party and easily convince all in attendance that this is their new third LP. Primarily this is because Ben Bailleux-Beynon , the vocalist for this six-year-old Wallonia (Brussels), Belgium band (formed around the time The Libertines quit), not only sounds so much like Pete Doherty, but he also sings like a virtual clone, with the same kind of strangely effective, lazily-slurred-all-over-the-place, barely enunciated, pout-mouthed, behind the beat/ahead of the beat/who cares about the beat delivery. (If he isn’t a committed fan, than I don’t like The Beatles.) Even the backing vocals sound like the Libertines, and the production has a lot of the same spontaneous/super-loose feel that ex-Clashman Mick Jones gave those long broken up Brits. Bailleux-Beynon’s guitar flair, however, is all his own, with a bright acoustic-folk influence matched with the band’s overall ‘80s U.K. pop essence, which makes the ensemble sound like Doherty was being backed by the members of Felt, The Servants, and Hurrah, with a some guest stars from our own Violent Femmes and The Connells. The bouts of harmonica blues are a fine touch as well. Good thing, too, as it ends up giving these Belgians at least a modicum of their own identity, rather than ending up just another tribute band that writes it own songs. Mind you, Hands is moldy-old news for the group, as it was issued over there three years ago—a long interval in music business time to finally get a product licensed over here. Meanwhile, Bailleux-Beynon and bassist Fab Detry have survived the loss of main second man Charles Blistin to form a new lineup, and have released a newer sophomore LP this year, Close the Evil Eye . But for now, since this is released here now, if your copy of Up the Bracket has gone worn, Hands is for you. (2minutes59.com)
