How about England's pet junkie Pete Doherty? Written off as tabloid trash you should almost forget that he is pretty good songwriter. Listen to his records with The Libertines and Baby Shambles. He goes solo with his new album Grace/ Wastelands (not confirmed as the actual title), a seminal English album - melodic, looking inward, sad and forlorn. All the drugs have not killed off his ability to come up with really great lyricis - if he ever gets past the crap he might join the ranks of Ray Davies, Elvis Costello, Jarvis Cocker and Damon Albarn. He is obviously a smart guy who quite rightfully decided that he needed Graham Coxon on acoustic guitar for this one.
Doherty adopts the perspective of a German soldier on the brink of WWII in 1939 Returning with a thirties orchestral intro (no Amy Winehouse who was supposed to add a bit of spice to this tune), writes about heroin in Sheepskin Tearaway and is forever looking fo paradise lost - the album starts off with Arcadie. Following a long standing tradition he also retells the biblical story of Salome - the one in which John The Baptist loses his head. No "Fuck Forever" like stuff then? Maybe on the next one - for now he speaks softly about the opposite sex, declaring that New Love Grows On Trees.
Grace/Wastelands is released on Parlophone. Release date: March 16th. The first single Last Of The English Roses with non-album track I Am The Rain hits the shelves on March 9th.
Tracks:
- Arcadie
- Last of the English Roses
- 1939 Returning
- A Little Death Around The Eyes
- Salome
- Through The Looking Glass
- Sweet By And By
- Palace Of Bone
- Sheepskin Tearaway
- Broken Love Song
- New Love Grows On Trees
- Lady, Don't Fall Backwards
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