Fratellis revel in debauchery

By Charles Young
George Washington High School

You probably have never heard of The Fratellis, but you probably have heard their music. Their jumpy punk sing-along “Flathead” is featured in the latest iPod commercial.

The Scottish trio’s debut, “Costello Music,” was released abroad in September, but it didn’t arrive in the states until late March. The Fratellis are members of the new wave of punk rockers who have begun to stray away from traditional buzz-saw punk sound and focus on making tuneful, attitudinal, party music. The band has followed in the footsteps of the Libertines by making music with swagger and bite that you can dance to.

The song “Flathead” is a jumping anthem dedicated to two of the Fratellis favorite things: girls and partying. Its enthusiastic beat and bouncy chorus make it an instantly-intoxicating hit.

The Fratellis lyrics are mostly witty tributes to dancing, women, drinking and other rock n’ roll misbehavior. The album’s art features three scantily-clad women drinking and smoking.

“Chelsea Dagger,” the single that virtually ate up the British charts last summer, is another quick-tongued party track. Over the course of three and a half minutes the Fratellis convince you that they are the coolest guys you’ve ever met, even if they all look like the haven’t shaved or bathed in several days.

On the howling “Got Ma Nuts from a Hippie,” Who guitarist Pete Townsend makes a guest appearance on acoustic guitar, adding some appreciated but unnecessary extra rhythm. However, another acoustic track, the love song “Whistle for the Choir,” is sickly sweet and extremely out of place amongst the other womanizing, hard-partying tracks.

The lighting-fast funk of “Creeping up the Back Stairs” evokes T.Rex-era ‘70s grooves, but its songwriting style recalls early ‘60s garage pop. “Vince the Lovable Stoner,” the tale of a drug buddy and his love of strippers, adds some light drug references and rockabilly humor.

Overall, the Fratellis manage to eject new life into a genre that has been in decline for the past several years. They bring the bad boy image back and help put sex and drugs back into rock n’ roll.