Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

Three Gigs, A Falcon and the Death of The Courteeners.

Last week at Birmingham Academy it was "The Raven" of The Stranglers this week it's the "Falcon" of The Courteeners. Me and our kid have come in early so we've plenty of time to ruminate over the life and times of the Courteeners and about "Falcon" as well.

Back in 2008 me and our kid were lucky enough in the space of ten months to see The Courteeners going through the gears, as they progressed from the Civic Bar Wolves (capacity 500ish), to The Wulfrun Hall Wolves (capacity 1000ish) and back to the Academy Birmingham (capacity 3000ish) where they'd supported "The Coral" 12 months before. All the gigs were pretty damn good but now we're here at the new Academy for the all new "Falcon".

Now usually in this fanzine we try to ignore stuff by bands we like, that turn out to be, well how shall we say it, pretty shit. I mean last year for instance we went to see Graham Coxon and Echo and the Bunnymen live but we kept pretty silent about their respective albums. What's the point, why ponder on the mediocre when there's plenty of good stuff about. But in the case of "Falcon" it's not so easy to keep schtum.

"Falcon" is, being brutally honest, a bit of a knacker. Personally I'd place it firmly on the bottom of the pile of second albums along with: "Modern World" The Jam, "Do It Yourself" Ian Dury, "Kill Uncle" Morrissey and "News and Tributes" The Futureheads - yeah not good company album wise, but hell they all survived.

So what's wrong with "Falcon"? Firstly the production by Ed Buller, it's certainly not good, and it's definitely not bad, it's just chronically inappropriate! The initial idea of getting this guy to produce The Courteeners was fundamentally wrong. The production of the whole piece is far too overblown, far too glossy and Buller's treatment soaks all the grit and credibility out of Liam Frays songs - and boy do some of those songs need a bit of grit and credibility.

Then there's the songs. For a start though there's definitely nothing wrong with "The Opener", "Cross My Heart & Hope to Fly", "The Rest of the World Has Gone Home", "Sycophant", "Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips", "Will It Be This Way Forever?" they're all fine and are only damaged by Buller's inappropriate production. But that is only half the album, as for the other six tracks, YUK! "Take Over the World" which is to be The Courteeners next single is absolutely horrid. It sounds like Liam Fray went to sleep listening to Coldplay's Viva La Vida, woke up and started writing. There's no truth, no passion and cetainly no originality, bland bland bland - it should easily chart.

The previous single "You Overdid It Doll", ditto! Only this time it sounds like Liam Fray went to sleep listening to Franz Ferdinand's "Tonight" album. He must have woken up thinking I can do that! But unfortunately no you can't. Fray's voice is totally bereft of any sexual chemistry or pathos; the sort of sexual chemistry and pathos that Alex Kapranos voice has in spades. "You Overdid It Doll" or Albert Tatlock sings Barry White? There's not much difference.

Then there's the other three toe curlers. However succinct or not they might have sounded on day one "Lullaby", "Cameo Brooch" and "Last of the Ladies" are simply a mawkish miss mash of hollow words and nursery rhyme melodies and have all the enduring quality of water biscuit.

Now if "The Opener", "Cross My Heart & Hope to Fly", "The Rest of the World Has Gone Home", "Sycophant", "Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips", "Will It Be This Way Forever?" had been presented with and produced in the same vane as "Revolver", "Bojangles", "You're the Man", "Meanwhile Back At the Ranch" and "Forget the Weight of the World" from the wonderful "Second Folio" CD, I would now be standing here raving about how Liam Fray and The Courteeners have just released one of the greatest second albums of all time. But that's not what's happened, and for me, that's just a complete pisser.

On the night we didn't get any tracks off "Second Folio" and the young and exuberant ones were happy enough to bounce up and down to "Take Over the World" and "You Overdid It Doll" - so what do I know? Liam Fray and The Courteeners should be applauded for trying to move their music forward, but as far as I'm concerned in the attempt they've just ended up running on the spot. They were good tonight, but nothing more. In October 2008 at the Birmingham Academy both me and our kid were wondering where next for The Courteeners, after "Falcon" we no longer really care and that is rather fuckin sad.