ROTW: The Libertines' self titled second album

This week, I've picked The Libertines' self-titled second album as the Record Of The Week.

Despite their first project, 2002's Up The Bracket being praised by the press, it received minimal chart success peaking at Number 35 in the UK album charts. The indie rock band did not surrender though, as in 2004 they released The Libertines, which would debut at the Number 1 spot.

The album was an instant classic of the garage rock revival present in the US and the UK.

We may look back on this time in bittersweet nostalgia, as the music industry was suffering, with global revenues falling year by year given the rise of online piracy.

Plus, the UK music press were desperately looking for the next big thing, since for many years they had been clinging onto the Cool Brittania buzz.

Particularly NME who nearly every week were attempting to create new hype for a different band. The Libertines had the originality NME were looking for, with two outspoken frontmen destined to be indie rock heroes.

The albums success was prompted by the single Can't Stand Me Now, which reached Number 2 in the UK Singles chart, being their biggest hit. Prior to the album release, they also released What Became Of The Likely Lads, which peaked at Number 9.

The Libertines' distinct spirit is centered on the songwriting partnership between double-act frontmen, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty. Their relationship was the driving force of the band, and helped to distinguish them as being different creatively than many of their contemporaries. This is not only shown through the entirety of the 42 minutes, but most notably on the album cover.

The cover is simple in terms of composition, being the bands logo placed over a candid picture of the duo, but it is easily one of my favourites ever given the backstory. The image was captured by Roger Sargent after the emotional 'Freedom Gig' at the Tap 'n' Tin club in Kent in October 2003. Doherty performed just hours after being released from prison, arrested for breaking into Barat's flat and stealing various items. Doherty was serving a six-month prison sentence for this.

Given the story of the image, the album cover triggers many emotions. Most prominently, a rush of sadness, with Barat's longing gaze at us and Doherty's drunken and drugged up slouching. Doherty shows us his wrist, which is significant given his heroin addiction which lasted for many years in the 2010s.

The album cover's heavy, drugged up atmosphere is reflected in the songs too.

Barat and Doherty's vocals are reminiscent of drunken pirates singing sea shanties. The crunchy, raw guitars are performed nonchalantly, with unnecessary guitar fills all over the project. The album does in fact sound like it was recorded in one take, which works well for some songs, but for others makes the album sound lazily produced.

Particularly the lead single, Music When The Lights Go Out and What Katie Did are effective in creating the swaggering attitude of the album. Barat and Doherty's coupling up vocals on these tracks make them three dimensional and really show the relationship between the two. This is through the intimate lyrics which explore the love-hate relationship of the double act, with a concluding sense that despite their conflicts they cannot live without one another.

Looking back on The Libertines' second album, the critical acclaim the project received was perhaps because of the desperation for the 'next big thing' in the UK indie rock scene. Despite its cracking lead single, the album's lazy instrumental performances make the album an arduous listen and fail to come across the way the band might've wanted them to.

Being hounded by the red top papers, Doherty's reputation as a heroin addicted rockstar sometimes seems to overshadow the legacy which The Libertines left behind. This is unfortunate as the band went on to inspire many others attempting to make their mark in the music industry.