The Cribs – In The Belly of the Brazen Bull

The Cribs return with their fifth studio album, In The Belly of the Brazen Bull, and for fans of their earlier music, you’re in for a treat.

It’s more like album 2.5, a perfect mix of the passion and drive of their first two albums mixed in with the maturity and hooks of Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever.

The departure of a certain Mr Marr seems to have made the Wakefield trio look back on their history, with the lyrics across the album talking about missed chances and things that could’ve happened.

Opener Glitters Like Gold is your stereotypical Cribs song and it gets you involved and makes you want to like the album after about 30 seconds. Follow it up with Come On, Be A No One and it’s an excellent start to the record.

The presence of more obvious hooks and guitar riffs gives the album a new feel to what is essentially an old style of music, but The Cribs do it so well it’s almost impossible not to like.

Confident Men, Chi-Town and Pure O provides a very strong middle section of the album, before Stalagmites slows the tempo down considerably, but the final three tracks, in particular Like A Gift Giver, finish off the album with a wonderful feel of nostalgia.

The Cribs always seem to be angry about something, which gives their music that passion and edge that very few other bands possess, so the only thing that is left to say is please, keep annoying them.

Review by Jon Pritchard

Buy In The Belly of the Brazen Bull by The Cribs from Amazon here.