The Scottish Invasion

A month or so a go I wrote about the band, The Bravery. I think I said something about these bands coming out that have these real good songs and stuff. On that one I think I wrote about semi-midlife crises and how you can't go back and fix shit that went awry back in the day or really... (what happened just three minutes ago with the whole dog walking thing), Anyhow... Back in the old days of record buying before lawryde and "his people" screwed up for the rest of us with their Napsters and Limewires, you heard a song, you then searched for the name of the song or who sang it, buy either intently listening to the radio or hanging out with friends to find the name. You stopped to listen to it when it came on and you followed it until the DJ announced who sang it, sometimes two or three songs later. You even, if you were as nuts as me, hung out in the school library searching Billboard looking for the title and how it charted. That was the music industry of the old days like from the beginning of time until high speed internet.

I like this band, the Fratellis:



Something strikes me as both Beatlesque and Ramone like with some serious shot of actually really great songwriting. Given the chance, these songs on this album can be really big. But an album's worth of songs with our high paced lifestyle of "hey, that's great, next" really has no staying power unless you are skinny drunk blonde in an S-Class Mercedes cruising the streets of Beverly Hills like you are a silver ball under glass, at the local arcade. We really are scared of the albums these days. U2 still makes albums, most people make songs. I suspect Coldplay, Rage, Metallica will try and make albums but a lot of the radio are these one song guys like the Bravery. The Fratellis are no one song per album band. This album is load!

I heard the Fratelli's with their real big American hit, Flathead on the radio a lot. I debated to buy the album because you get something sometimes and it's filled with crap. Not always... I can listen into an album deep and pick singles and I am usually right on what the next single is. But man sometimes.... Flathead was too gimmicky with it's off time Chorus. I thought really it was a "one shot" hit and now-a-days, I can pick that up on iTunes no problem.

But then in Tahoe, I noticed my sister in law bought the album so I took a listen. We both were playing with Elijah while she had it on. I still had my ear that sound. I think I told her how great it was like 30 times. Of course I do that with a lot of records. Especially records from artists just by looking at my collection I would not give the time of day (Case in point: Emmylou Harris---Red Dirt Girl, one of the best records you can buy, period) I bought the Fratellis as soon as I got back. I listen to them a lot in the car. It's an album you can rock out in a big way. Definitely influenced by the Beatles.

I think Scotland is place that people are suddenly going to pay attention to with all the great bands coming from there. The Fratellis just jumped into the lead. Besides Flathead, check out Whistle for the Choir, Chelsea Dagger, Baby Fratelli and For the Girl.