Did Street go too far? Maybe.
Shotter's Nation is lean and accessible. The songs are good, sometimes great. The band is tight and Peter sounds clearheaded and engaged. These are all good things and make listening to it a pleasure rather than a chore. Missing, though, is the sense of danger, destruction, and menace that were so much apart of Pete's work with Libertines and the best moments of Albion. At his best Pete Doherty makes chaos pop, and with all he's put himself through there were days it seemed he'd never realize that best. Shotter's Nation is a huge step in that progression, one that makes us pull for our troubled hero all the more.
After the opening salvo, the album hangs together well because no song overstays its welcome. There are no lame attempts at reggae and the ska influences are downplayed, both welcome developments. In place of those dalliances is a lone acoustic cut at album's end, "The Lost Art of Murder." "Murder" is a great track, reinforcing the point that Doherty is at his best when the clutter is swept away. Let's hope a Doherty acoustic album is on the horizon, and soon.
Article comments
1 - DukeDeMondo
Sir Josh, I've been very much looking forward to reading your thoughts on this. Part of me is overjoyed that the record is so consistently strong - certainly there's scarcely a dud track to be found. Another part of me, though, like yourself, very much misses the sense of ragged menace and danger (kudos on the menace. i never would've thought menace, but you're right. Parts of Down In Albion are nowt short of threats) that hung about even the lesser moments on Albion. Shotter's Nation is an excellent rock record. No doubt. I adore it. But Down In Albion may have be a bit closer to the heart for me owing to how fuckin unique it feels, for one thing. And of course the quality of the songs is, for the most part, stunning. Had it been shaved to Shotter's Nation length it'd probably have been a masterpiece. As it is, it's a wee bit more than that.
Oh, and Pete's been recording that acoustic record on and off since Down In Albion was released, far as I'm aware. I'd imagine we won't have that terrible long to wait.
2 - Josh
Sir Duke, been meaning to respond to your kind comments for some time now.
I think they probably did smooth it down a bit more than necessary, but it's nice to hear some clarity in their work all the same. I'm hoping their next full-band effort will properly bring both halves together.
That acoustic record will be brilliant!
3 - Josh
Just read something on NME that suggests we might get a Pete solo record this summer. Not sure if it will be the acoustic album we're hoping for.