Glam punk makes a comeback
j3st1 | Richmond, CA | 01/11/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Libertine's debut album "See You in the Next Life" is a great resurgence of glam punk. With tracks like "Moscow", "Heartbreak", "Next Life", and "The Sound of the Saints", Libertine lights it up with awesome guitar riffs, thoughtful lyrics, and great beats. Glam-punk fans - a must-have!"
Capturing The Rock & Roll Spirit of the Thing
Dickie Dunn | Buffalo, NY | 02/21/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Libertine's "See You In The Next Life" is a triumph of powerhouse prose, magnificent musicianship, and very special spirit. The astounding guitar riffs (courtesy of Jamie Coville and Justin Splits) and near-perfect thunderous drumming from Belvy K. permeate this masterwork like no other independent release currently in existence. This record is a great deal more than the best example of the evolution of glam pop punk beyond emo; in fact, it is rock & roll at its freshest and finest. Libertine is not afraid to rise above its peer group with candid homage being paid to the likes of New Wave artists like Generation X (the band, not the book!) and New Order (Hey Libertine, if you're reading this, have you ever thought about covering that old New Order song about the birds and the bees? No? Well, I guess you've already acknowledged it on this record, eh? )as well as influences like Social Distortion (Belvy Ness with more bite)and early Clash (give 'em enough Libertine!). Belvy K & Coville's at times stirring lyrics on "...Next Life" represent what has always been at the foundation of rock & roll (at least for me, anyway): healthy doses of angst, disaffection, love, and perseverence. They even throw in a hint of romance, such as on the want-to-be hit, "Heartbreak" (track #2) where Belvy croons over a Cure-esque (its Friday and I'm in love with Libertine) and Flesh For Lulu-friendly (I go crazy when I'm without Libertine) Paul Vincent/Belvy K-delivered backbeat that "This is the way it always ends, yeah / A thousand broken hearts for you / For you," followed by an emotionally spine tingling "La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la..." that I find myself belting out in the car on my way home from work everyday. I'm not sure if they wrote it about a girl, a dream, or a game, but the song is indelibly infectuous. In fact, tracks 2, 3, and 4 are clearly the best songs on the CD, rivaling "Candy," "I Don't Belong Here," (which I recently heard in the movie, "Freak Talks About Sex" on Cinemax), and "Sleeping Dogs"--oh, I'm sorry, I mean "Slowdown" from their inspiring 1998 debut, "Rise Above." Song #3 features Coville's and Justin Splits' riveting guitar lead-laden, "Moscow," with its anthemic chorus that is eerily reminiscent of The Alarm's "68 Guns." But the biggest and best song on this work is the title track (song #4), "Next Life." This masterpiece is absolutley radio-ready and should propel Libertine beyond the levels of rock stardom that they have clearly earned the right to. Perhaps this song is a premonition of what's coming next, as if they were "...only thinking of ways to warn ya /(don't say) nobody told ya / (that even though) Nobody ever said it (was) gonna be easy / (that they will) See you in the next life if it kills (them)," as they break through to millions. Indeed, Libertine is about to make some lucky record company boatloads of money. These fellows sound great, write killer songs, and are pretty, too! This highly professional, big sounding (props to co-producer Mark Hunt here, although a few more effects on Belvy's voice will be welcome in the future) sophomore release attests to the fact that these boys are primed and ready for the big time, complete with their integrity and punk-rock & roll ideals intact. A must own CD which also happens to be my most listened to disc of the new year. In fact, if I were stuck on a deserted tropical island with no food or water, I could live off of just listening to this record over and over again."
Rock Hard
Christina Vellano | Syracuse, NY United States | 01/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album's a lot tighter than the previous EP. More produced, the sounds are clearer and the songs more melodic. Libertine doesn't really fit into a certain genre of music; instead each song is a different entitly unto itself that fits together nicely to make up a strong album as a whole. "If Wishes Were Horses" was the first song off the album I heard (in real audio no less), but it blew me away then and still does now. It's one of those songs that gets in your head and batters around, bouncing off every orfice and refusing to leave. It does so in a Social D "Story of My Life" way, though, as opposed to the annoying and disgusting boy-band-pop song way. "No Your Enemy" is my favorite song off the album, there's a darkness behind it that the listener can't help, but find intriguing. It attacks the modern way of life and all the bullshit behind it and as a disaffected youth (as much as I hate to voluntarily stereotype myself that way) I have respect for that. The big thing for bands to do now is sing about the new inner peace they've found with life, their newfound spirituality, or the girl/boy that just broke their hearts. This is all well and good, but the state of this music is despicable nonetheless so apparently these are subjects that can't be (or thus far haven't been) done well. Libertine's album takes the side of the people whose voices are never heard and bring it to the mainstream, and simply for this you've got to have respect and give it a listen. It's a finely tuned album that has aspects of punk and rock. This album is more important than a lot of the albums that have been released lately, though, in a way that can't be described. In a world where mainstream pop is embarrassing, rock is becoming redundant, and Blink 182 is referred to as "punk," See You in the Next Life stands up and delivers a sound finally worth listening to."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1