The Cribs
Night Network

The Cribs seriously considered giving it all up, and for good reasons.

Shortly after the release of their seventh album, “24-7 Rock Star Shit” (produced by none other than guru Steve Albini, who had previously collaborated with the West Yorkshire band), the three Jarmans received a nasty, very nasty surprise: unbeknownst to them, the rights to their entire catalog no longer belonged to them. This led to (of course) a sharp break with their management and a decision not to sign a new record contract.

After an eighteen-month period of inactivity, the helping hand of Dave Grohl arrives who (after a Foo Fighters live performance at the Etihad Stadium opened by the Cribs themselves) offers the classic offer that cannot be refused: “drop everything and come record an album in my studio.” The guys do not think twice and dive into the adventure, while facing a second round of additional legal issues; all's well that ends well though, and once the contractual hassles are resolved, they manage to complete the work on this delightful “Night Network,” undoubtedly their best album since the unforgettable “Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever.”

The new and eighth studio work opens with an anticlimactic piece like “Goodbye,” which under normal conditions would have been more suitable as a closing rather than an album opener: the Beach Boys-style harmonies and relaxed pace quickly give way to the clattering guitars of the wonderful single “Running Into You,” a typically Cribs track that actually kicks off the dance.

Contrary to what the opening might have suggested, the air of novelty is felt only up to a certain point; excluding a couple of episodes (the closing “In The Neon Night” with its gait reminiscent of Blur’s “Parklife” and the Strokes-like “Under The Bus Station Clock”), “Night Network” is a quintessentially Cribs brit rock album, with highlights such as “Screaming In Suburbia,” “Deep Infatuation,” and the singles “Never Thought I’d Feel Again” and “I Don’t Know Who I Am,” the latter enriched by the unmistakable contribution of Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo.

A great album, a rebirth in every sense, bringing the Cribs back to the level of a decade ago and delivering to their catalog a highly successful work, among their best.

Best track: Screaming In Suburbia