ONE of the most pivotal years in a decade which is defined by its many ups and downs in musical, social and political terms, 2006 saw a great number of soon-to-be recognisable names take notable strides forward.
Arctic Monkeys’ seminal debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not left a crater-sized impact on the rock ‘n’roll landscape whilst the Karen O led Yeah Yeah Yeah’s proved that the grittiness of New York garage rock had been thoroughly resuscitated with their second full length Show Your Bones.
Kasabian’s Empire saw the band ramp up their self-assured, boorish swagger and musically progressive leanings to a new level and the razor tongued songstress that we’d all come to know as Lily Allen provided us with bittersweet yet ever so catchy tracks that would soon cement her as a fixture in the music press and tabloids alike.
However, a record which must not be overlooked whilst considering the albums which soundtracked 2006 is one which spent a staggering total of 83 weeks within the UK top 100 and created unlikely stars out of three plucky young lads from Scotland.
The Fratellis’ Costello Music is an album which surpassed anyone’s expectation and was exemplary of one of those rare moments when all the stars aligned.
The right timeframe, the right place, the right tunes and the right level of brash self-belief; this is what transported The Fratellis from tiny shows in Glasgow pubs to the peripheries of the top of festival bills across the country and would result in the band eventually attaining the Brit award for Best British Breakthrough Act.
Opening in a flurry of excitable guitar which matches the levels of carnage which it would soon incite in huge venues, the first strains of ‘Henrietta’ and its tongue-in-cheek ‘Hello’ intro personified not just the band’s affinity for muscular riffs but also the self-deprecating humour which has long been an element of their output.
Whilst most bands would space out their singles throughout the course of the record, The Fratellis clearly felt no need and hit listeners with a cavalcade of the band’s best known songs in quick succession.
Among the most unrestrained and volatile tracks on the entire record, ‘Flathead’ contrasts a Johnny Cash aping rhythm with monstrous bursts of punk rock that mirror the track’s hedonistic lyricism.
A record of two halves in many ways, ‘Whistle For The Choir’ gives our first indication of the band’s penchant for a spot of Americana-tinged balladry that’s rendered in their own distinctly Scottish affectations.
A composition which is no longer just a sterling example of a fun-loving rock track but eventually became a genuine phenomenon and eventually a football chant, the raw power of ‘Chelsea Dagger’ at full pelt has arguably been denigrated by this oversaturation but will remain an indie disco classic for decades to come.
Steeped in lust, intoxication and misguided decisions, their uncanny ability to encapsulate what it means to be young and absolutely confounded by the world around you is one of the record’s primary strengths.
The doomed love affair of ‘For The Girl’ was sure to have struck a chord with fans of all generations as it excruciatingly details the contradictions and pitfalls of two incompatible people trying to hold it together while the revived doo-wop tropes of ‘Vince The Lovable Stoner’ add an intriguing element to the tale of the kind of affable but hapless figure that everyone knows.
The ferocious drum patterns and assaulting guitars of ‘Creepin’ Up The Backstairs’ and ‘Baby Fratelli’ still sound as fresh and invigorating as they did when they first collided with our ears and provide the perfect summation as to why there’s been such an insatiable appetite for the band’s forthcoming 10th anniversary tour of the record.
‘Ole Black And Blue Eyes’ once again demonstrates their ability to put a subversive lilt on the often schmaltzy musings of 60’s troubadours before ‘Cuntry Boys And City Girls’ provided one final arena-sized rock ‘n’ roll stomper to whet our appetite.
Whilst it may have not reinvented the wheel, what remains startling about Costello Music is just how emboldened they were to make music which not only thrills but caters to themselves with little disregard for the critique of anyone who’d see its outrageous vocal melodies as off-putting or its lyrics to be ‘coarse.’
The Fratellis’ debut album did what every band should ultimately aspire to; it planted their flag firmly into the freshly trodden soil and made their intentions abundantly clear for all to see. It may have eventually went on to become a crossover hit, but that certainly wasn’t as a result of the band pandering to any trends or scenes.
What it proves is that if you have the panache to go out and make the record that you want to deliver without being deterred by others, intangible and unblemished magic can be the result.
