The Fratellis have conquered the UK with their old school punk style. Now, after being named one of ""Rolling Stone's"" 10 Artists to Watch, they are ready to impress the US with their debut, Costello Music. The album is named for the rehearsal space they used and is an upbeat but intense creation that begs to be sung along to. The music is instantly addictive and the quirky lyrics are a perfect compliment to their boisterous playing.
The Fratellis' infectiousness takes hold right from the opening riff of ""Henrietta,"" a light, high-speed plea for the attention of a married woman. Full of confidence, they ostensibly proclaim, ""Sitting in the back seat banging on the off beat / You know you love us and you probably do."" With such a smooth delivery and innocent melody, these words actually sound more charming than arrogant.
""Flathead"" is every bit as catchy and appeared in an iPod commercial. The track's percussion intro makes it impossible to not wiggle around a little. This quickly changes to include a steady guitar rhythm and more intense vocals, and then goes back and forth from heavy to light. The end result is a hit straight out of the garage.
Even though almost every track is another story about another girl, each one has a new surprise in style that keeps the album from getting monotonous. ""Chelsea Dagger"" starts out heavy, but then subtly and suddenly becomes upbeat and is similar to the Beatles' ""White Album"" era material, but has more bite.
The rebellious cries of ""The Gutterati?"" would be fitting in a rowdy pub, but its brief harmonica solos seem like unnecessary baggage. Another great change of pace is the blues-soaked ""Doginabag."" Lyrics like ""I guess you could say it's a sick little show / A bottle of troubles and a bed full of woe"" are a perfect compliment to the slow and sultry tones.
The Fratellis don't stay down for long, however, and launch straight back into their signature fast riffs and rowdy cymbal crashes. Toward the end of the album, great characters begin to emerge. ""Vince the Lovable Stoner"" has cheeky lines such as ""And I haven't seen a pupil in his eyes for sixteen days / The Catholic girls love him in a million ways."" The track is delightfully frivolous and fun, despite having a backwoods country sound.
The final song, ""Ole Black ‘N' Blue Eyes"" is not printed on the album's artwork, but has gentle vocals and classic chords that give the album an ending completely opposite of its beginning.
Costello Music is a balanced mix of raucous garage rock and bubblegum vibes that is hard to hate. The Fratellis may be new to the game, but they seem to have found just the right formula to ensure a successful future.
