The Libertines
Up The Bracket
(Rough Trade)
★★★★

TWENTY years ago the debut album from The Libertines lit a rocket under British indie guitar music.

This reissue — including a recording of a 100 Club gig, a slew of studio outtakes and demos and a booklet — is a welcome reminder of those heady days before co-frontman Pete Doherty become tabloid fodder.

Romantic, chaotic and genuinely thrilling, it’s actually a patchy record — Radio America and Begging sound half-formed.

However, it’s the ragged pop singalongs that the London four-piece are best known for, such as the rollicking title track and Time For Heroes, with both sounding like they are constantly on the verge of imploding.

Boys In The Band and I Get Along are none too shabby either. For the uninitiated, imagine comedian Tony Hancock fronting the Sex Pistols.

One of the most exciting British bands of the millennium.

Bruce Springsteen
Only The Strong Survive
(Columbia)
★★★★

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BRUCE Springsteen’s 21st studio album and first record since 2020’s Letter To You, Only The Strong Survive is a collection of 15 covers of American soul classics.

Backed by the E Street Horns and sumptuous string arrangements, with long-time producer Ron Anielloro on all other instruments, the Boss sounds like he’s having an absolute blast.

Now 73 years old, his voice is surprisingly strong and supple, able to personify the romantic longing and heartbreak that drenches many of the songs.

A tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, his take on the Commodores 1985 hit Nightshift is a real highlight, as is Don’t Play That Song, complete with some nostalgic ad-libbing.

It’s too small to see in the accompanying image but eagle-eyed fans will spot Vol 1 on the album cover, suggesting there will be more soul standards from Springsteen soon.

Garrett Saracho
15
(Jazz Is Dead)
★★★

IN 2020 multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge and A Tribe Called Quest member Ali Shaheed Muhammad set up Los Angeles record label Jazz Is Dead to release new work from jazz luminaries such as Roy Ayers and Brian Jackson.

Their latest album is a terrific set from Garrett Saracho, who had been signed to the legendary Impulse! Records in the early ’70s, releasing one critically acclaimed though now largely forgotten longplayer — En Medio.

Saracho plays acoustic piano, with Younge on electric bass, guitars, marimba, vibraphone and alto saxophone. It’s a propulsive mix, with Muhammad and a host of other musicians joining them on each track.

White Buffalo sounds like the soundtrack to a street smart US cop show, while Altitude is a hard-driving percussive cut, full of hip-hop beats and strings and horns played by the Linear Labs Orchestra.

A marvellous rediscovery.