"Overthrown" grabs you right from the beginning, creating hooks and a great beat within the first eight seconds. Soon the vocals come in and the song takes on a whole new life, while still recognizing the old one. The vocals are clear, smooth, and add nice flavor to the music. The lyrics, dealing with the ever-so-popular men/women relationship, are brought out by the vocals, which make every word ring in your head and sound interesting each time. The drums and the bass work together nicely, giving the song depth and character. When the chorus comes in, you'll be drawn even closer to the song and feel even more love for it. Getting the listeners attention from the beginning is hard to due, but keeping it throughout is even a harder task. With "Supersonic Daydream" they manage to keep the listener happy with another pop-rock number. The verses are decent, sometimes losing the interest of the listener, but when the "supersonic" intoxication of the chorus hits, you'll know why you keep listening. The vocals turn the pitch up a bit, while the band spills out hooks, and together magic happens. "Crash Out" mixes slow verses with a bit more rock-based chorus. The verses are slow and enchanting, possessing a dreamy quality to them, but with the dreamy quality comes sleepiness and boredom. While listening to it, I found myself easily distracted and I was paying attention to other things, but when the chorus hit my attention once again focused back on the song. After a few trips down the same road, the song now has my full attention each time I listen to it. "Revolving" takes a minute for the vocals to come in, as well as for the song to really start. Another song where they create a slow verse and then build on their rock parts during the chorus. But this time they end the song with an emphasis on the rock, which is really nice, and kept me interested in the number. Ending with "Magic Mushroom Night," they close the CD out another dreamy pop number, very 'Brit-pop,' and a nice way to finish.

Libido can write good pop-rock numbers. It's nice to see them taking sides once in a while, as well, because it helps bring out certain parts of the song more. The contrast is also nice, and to hear them focus on pop for a bit and then turn around and do the same for rock creates a feeling of never knowing what to expect, which helps keep the music lively and entertaining. They are best when they focus on the rock side, but when their pop side is pouring out of the speakers no one will think any less of them. A good, solid band who will definitely be making their impact felt on modern rock radio in the near future. I'll give this album a B+.

Libertines, The: Don't Look Back Into The Sun

Libitina: Weltanschauung

[Issue Ten // July 1998]