Dirty Pretty Things
Bang Bang You’re Dead EP
Vertigo/Interscope
I don’t have the full-length for Dirty Pretty Things, so this EP is a short and sweet introduction to the band Carl Barat was forced to create after his Libertines partner Pete Doherty decided to spend more time doing smack and less time making good music. At five tracks (one of which, “Bang Bang You’re Dead,” is included twice) calling it an EP is like calling a latte a meal. Call it what it is – a CD single – and be done with it.
More poppy than the Mick Jones-produced – and so punk-infused – Libertines, Dirty Pretty Things provide cleaned-up indie rock. The title song and the tavern singalong, “Wondering,” are more influenced by The Kinks than The Clash, and Barat proves that he can be on equal footing in either beatle boots or doc martens. And while Doherty’s present project, Babyshambles, can’t seem to stay clean long enough to get onstage, DPT is a safer bet for longevity – or at least a tour.
If you’ve already got Waterloo To Anywhere, I wouldn’t bother picking up this disc unless you’re an obsessive collector.
Dirty Pretty Things: http://www.dirtyprettythingsband.com
