The Cribs - The New Fellas

could well be one of life’s great mysteries. There seems to be some unwritten rule that they come in a buy one, get one free deal with DIY bedrocks Kaiser Chiefs, but when matched up against the raw pop magpie genius of Leeds’ biggest export more often than not they can’t even come close. Last year’s debut album slipped under many radars, and despite a pair of utterly fantastic pop songs (‘Another Number’ and ‘You Were Always The One’) it proved just too shambolic for its own good. Under rated, perhaps, but not criminally so.

But as they say, everyone deserves a second chance. ‘The New Fellas’ could well be The Cribs’ first real’ shot at the big time, now they have their very own celebrity cheerleaders shouting their name to anyone who will listen. Drowning in good will, and on their second successive NME new bands tour, it would take something spectacular to balls it up this time around.

‘Hey Scenesters’ is exactly the way you’d want things to kick off. Incendiary and infectious, you can even forgive the slighty ironic nature of its subject matter; whatever your opinion, you’ll have the chorus stuck in your head for months. ‘I’m Alright Me’ wins marks simply for having the most Wakefield song title ever, fittingly always on the edge of falling apart but just about holding it together.

‘Mirror Kissers’ could either feature the best or worst ‘Woaah’ in modern pop, depending on how you feel on such matters. What could be a fantastic melody is let down by just a tad too much abandon; with a bit more spit and polish it could have been something very special indeed. ‘The Wrong Way To Be’ makes up for any such faults however. Spoken word over winding, distorted guitar coupled with anthemic chorus and an almost rap breakdown - it’s the last thing you were expecting, but something that finally sets The Cribs out from the crowd.

‘The New Fellas’ isn’t going to change the world. It’s not amazing, but it is at least something different. Live it could well sway from amazing to down right boring, while on record is occasionally a bit too samey, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

Declaring ‘Leeds is dead’ on ‘Martell’ on the other hand; we’ll see you after class for that, Jarman.