It’s not unreasonable to suggest that Carl Barât‘s sole aim in life is to prove himself more successful than ex-bandmate Pete Doherty, and that’s not too difficult a feat to achieve. With an eager following of fans leftover
from The Libertines days, Carl Barât’s side projects have always seen steady, though not necessarily well-deserved, success. Barât’s latest attempt at justifying his musical significance is the simultaneous release of a self-titled solo album and a book of his memoirs, Threepenny Memoirs.
Neither Doherty nor Barât have anything extraordinary to offer the world when working separately, and this album is a testimony to that. Barât’s hollow nasal voice resonates violently amongst the instrumental choice for the album – soft bells and whistles, melodic percussions, a couple of strings here and there. His lyricism takes a stab at being fluffy and romantic but ends up somewhat laughable, leading us all to question the legitimacy of his musical abilities. All that aside, however, Barât’s music still manages to be catchy and to some extent, enjoyable.
Opening track ‘The Magus’ is bass-heavy, ridden with bold drum beats and sweeping keyboards. Barât’s sharp English accent cuts deeply through the music, echoing gracefully amongst the heavy beats. ‘Je Regrette’ is a tame attempt at achieving musical recognition – the composition is messy and inexperienced, and lyrically the song fails miserably (“Je regrette, je regrette, I haven’t had you yet”. Why, Carl, why?). First single ‘Run With the Boys’ is catchy and memorable, a hybrid of the old Dirty Pretty Things indie-rock, and Barât’s new softer, key-based, sound. ‘So Long, My Lover’ is a glistening example of Barât redeeming himself for the album’s musical mishaps – a blissfuly melodic anthem, soaring with string and choral accompaniments.
Carl Barât’s official shedding of any external pressures that may exist within a band (a.k.a going solo),
has thrown his talents into the spotlight to be judged and scrutinised. His desire to express emotive substance within music is admirable at the least, despite being incarnated in poorly worded lyrics. His new approach at a more delicate musical style, loaded with bells, keyboards, and brass instruments, was an attempt to mould his music with the taste of today’s listeners; but just further proved his weaknesses when creating music alone. Whilst the album is ridden with poor choices, and would have sounded better had he stuck to his wrangly indie-rock roots, it is not ultimately awful. Success outside the Libertines fanbase, however, is doubtful.
Review Score: 6/10
