Swinging between concise guitar pop and rangier, noisier experiments, the Cribs self-titled 2004 debut album contains all the potential theyd develop with different collaborators over the years to come. The band recorded with engineer Ed Deegan at Londons Toe Rag studio -- famed for its vintage analog gear as well as clients like the White Stripes, the Kills, and Television Personalities -- and The Cribs presents the Jarman brothers music at its most indie. This feeling is reinforced by the albums off-kilter bookends: "The Watch Trick"s shuffling waltz starts things on a mischievous note, while the stomping, sprawling "Third Outing" provides a wild-eyed finale. In between these songs, however, the Cribs show theyre not afraid of grand pop gestures. With its big hooks and harmonies, the U.K. Indie Top Ten hit "You Were Always the One" could almost pass for a forgotten British Invasion classic; the albums other hit single, "What About Me," provided the template for the bands shout-along choruses. Moments like these make it easy to hear why the Cribs were a breath of fresh air when they arrived in the early 2000s. Though their songs were as catchy as the work of the Libertines or the Strokes, the Jarmans down-to-earth, wryly funny, and often poignant songwriting set them apart; its hard to imagine either of the aforementioned bands penning a lyric like "You were drunk and unbelievably cool/You wont find a friend who knows you like I do" from "Things You Should Be Knowing." Feeling ordinary and forgotten makes "Another Number" one of the albums standouts, while its spiky guitars and plunking eighth-note basslines reflect the Cribs love of American indie music (which also surfaces on the tricky tempo shifts of "Baby Dont Sweat" and Sonic Youth-y guitar horseplay of "Learning How to Fight"). The Cribs is a great introduction to the bands brash and tuneful sides, and also shows that though they later worked with producers ranging from Edwyn Collins to Steve Albini, theyve always been the architects of their sound. ~ Heather Phares

Rovi