Night Network

On Night Network, the Cribs trade the serrated punk of 24-7 Rockstar Shit for guitar pop thats as joyous as it is cathartic. Exploring the extremes of their sound is nothing new for this band, but the reasons behind the shift seem clearer than ever this time around. Not long after the release of their previous album, the Cribs parted ways with their management when they discovered the rights to their early songs belonged to someone else. During the year and a half they spent in a protracted but successful legal battle to regain ownership of their music, they recorded Night Network at their longtime friend Dave Grohls Los Angeles studio. Given the heaviness in their lives at the time, its no wonder that the Cribs opted to make music thats lighter and often wiser-sounding than what came before it. On their first self-produced album, they dont just strip away much of 24-7s aggression and distortion; they come to terms with the complexities of the past on Night Networks frequently gorgeous songs. They begin the album by bidding a not-so-fond farewell to anyone who underestimated them on Goodbye, where ba-ba-ba backing vocals and plush harmonies call to mind the Beach Boys. Theyre one of Night Networks major influences, whether on the lilting melody of Under the Bus Station Clocks everyday romance or the aching falsetto choruses of Never Thought Id Feel Again. On these songs and Running into You, where they pair squalling guitars with Phil Spectors booming percussion, the Cribs use vintage pop touches to have a dialogue with the past thats deeper and more complex than mere nostalgia. Though they look back fondly on times gone by with Deep Infatuations flirtatious wit, the longing that runs through songs as different as the rave-up Screaming in Suburbia and the swaying ballad The Weather Speaks Your Name is ambivalent and nuanced. By the time In the Neon Night says good riddance to innocence with its overflowing melody and emotions, the Cribs prove once again that theyre just as genuine when they show their sweet side as when they bare their teeth. A career highlight filled with well-earned warmth, Night Network is exactly the kind of album the Cribs should be making as they near their 20th anniversary. ~ Heather Phares

ビジネス上のトラブルに巻き込まれたバンドがデイヴ・グロールに励まされ、完成させたという美しいエピソードを持つ8枚目のアルバム。スティーヴ・アルビニと組み、原点に回帰した前作から一転、新境地を求めた反動が痛快な意欲作になっている。まるでテレヴィジョンがマージー・ビートを演奏しているみたいだ、という例えは若い読者にはピンと来ないかもしれないが、オルタナ的な歪み、痙攣、反響をふんだんに使いながら(リー・ラナルドも1曲参加!)、持ち前のメロディーセンスに60sを思わせるノスタルジックな味わいが加わったのは、ちょっとびっくりかも。ビーチ・ボーイズ風のハーモニーも飛び出すが、アルバム全体を通して楽器すべてが歌っているような演奏がいちばんの聴きどころだ。
bounce (C)山口智男