Babyshambles
The Blinding EP

The sound is cleaner, "less drugged" and well-produced; these are the characteristics that "Down in Albion" should have had in its debut, and what this EP actually has. However, this is not enough to make "The Blinding" a good product. Because perhaps these very characteristics are the limit of Doherty and his band's new release. There is no longer any trace of the almost out-of-tune, lighthearted, or simply badly played guitar (call it what you will) that made "Fuck Forever" or "Pipedown" such electrifying rock tracks, replaced by the cacophonous slide of "Love You But You're Green" or the dreadful light-heartedness of "I Will".

"Beg, Steal or Borrow", a track that had been circulating on the web for some time, is the only one worth saving despite reminding us that there is nothing left of the punk (mixed with pop yes, but there was a bit of it) of the Libertines. Pete Doherty is effectively a chart singer or perhaps, if he hasn't yet succeeded, given the low sales figures, he aspires to become one. And just when we are about to change our minds, listening to the promising beginning of "Sedative", we think back to "The Blinding", skipped at the beginning because it was similar to so many others, we think about how it resembles something of Jimi Hendrix (let's not name names) or his endless citations of more or less known pieces of music history.

Well, at this point let's put on "Up the Bracket", and Pete will ask us if we've seen "the elegant lads in the riot", or "the boys in the band," and we'll nod until we're nauseated, with a few tears for a genius who is slowly fading away.