Customer Reviews
A refreshing and successful change of direction. - By: Babelmonkey, 22 Aug 2008 
When I first listened to 'Here We Stand', I was a little taken aback. Gone were the Fratellis of Costello Music, with their thumping, fast paced sing-a-longs;in their place was a band with a collection of songs more varied, more structurally adventurous, & even a little more mellow. It was a definite changein direction; an unexpected one.
And, now that I've adjusted to it, a welcome & refreshing one.
Overall, I would say that 'Here We Stand' is simply a stronger album than 'Costello Music'. Although "Mistress Mabel" & "Shameless" both hark back to their jaunty origins, "Babydoll" & "Straggler's Moon" throwin new ideas & angles to the Fratellis' work, making them all the more interesting to listen to.
The Fratellis themselves saidin an interview with the Guardian that they prefer 'Here We Stand' to 'Costello Music', as they were given more control over their songs, & this does show as you progress through their second album. This is the Fratellis as they've always wanted to be, & they're brilliant!
Excellent! - By: KM, 21 Aug 2008 I really loved the first Fratellis album & this one is even better!
There's a lot more varietyin this one, experimenting with many different styles, ending up with one of the best albums so far of 2008.
The songs perhaps aren't as catchy or memorable as the likes of "Chelsea Dagger" but the quality is definitely higher.
Well recommended for an easy listen that can also be blasted out for some mad, jump around, shouty tunes.
Harder Rock, More Rythm and again instantly loveable - By: Steven Stewart, 04 Jul 2008 
Costello Music, when the Fratellis debuted on the mainstreamin 2006 was an album that from the very first song, you fellin love with the album & the band. Their music was instantly memorable & something that you could get up & dance to without giving much thought to what you were listening to. The art of the Fratellis is that they can make music with excellent lyrics for those who pay attention to that aspect of music, & it's catchy making them the prime choice for parties. Costello Music made an impact & gave the indie bands some credibility amongst the mainstream audiences. Usually when a new band or artist has such a successful debut they generally fail to live up to that hype with their second album.
Here We Stand, was not just the second Fratellis album, but it was an extension of their musical ability. The "Rock" aspect of their music is instantly more apparent with the first song of the album "My Friend John."
You instantly become aware that the Fratellis aren't necessarily moving away from the Costello Music sound, but they seem to be wanting to extend their sound into something even more memorable. The first released single of the album Mistress Mable is once again a unique sound for what we're used to from the Fratellis. That song can only be compared to the Elton John piano rock songs of the past & is something that the Fratellis can be thanked for, for bringing them into the present.
My top 5
1. My Friend John
2. Shameless
3. Mistress Mable
4. Look Out Sunshine
5. Acid Jazz Singer
Here they are - By: E. A Solinas, 28 Jun 2008 The Fratellis are one of those Britpop bands exploding with energy & lovable roguishness, & that is basically what their debut album "Costello Music" was full of.
Which brings us to their sophomore offeering: "Here We Stand," an album of explosive laddish energy, late wild nights out on the town, & solid catchy riffs, just like their first one. The Glaswegians don't quite stick to a solid soundin this album, but diddle around with a few new styles & tempos -- there's shreds of alt-rock, blues-rock & hard-rock stuckin their Britpop.
They don't really add anything new to their sound -- it's all still bouncy guitar-laden Britpop -- but they diddle around with some other styles from time to time.
"Have you got a shape?" "Yes." "What shape would you be?"
With that odd little conversation, the band busts out into the rattling drums & rapidly blazing riffs of "My Brother John." It's a wild little song of "Saturday nightin the year of the good thief," dumb blondes, wild night scenes, & "My friend John was a serious one/Buttoned up the back & a job half done/Lazy old boy when the good girls turn/His teeth get itchy & his rubber soles burn/When will he ever learn?"
They don't lose their momentumin "A Heady Tale," where the countryish guitars are tempered by a fierce, jangly piano & funny lyrics ("you know cold-blooded women make me sneeze"). And as the album winds on, they acquire a bit of a sunny alt-rock sound -- countryish ballads, breezy swaying rockers, fast-moving Britpop, & burning guitarpop. And they finish it off with the smooth, plaintive "Lupe Brown," & a wash of gentle piano that switches midsong into a smashing cascade of guitars.
But they do start to falter a littlein the stompy, clumpy "Shameless" & the uneven, uncertain "Tell Me A Lie." Both songs seem to be a foray into harder rock'n'roll, but it feels like they overcrammed the songs with bass & electric riffs. They're far more successful with the more complex melody of "Acid Jazz Singer."
The core of the Fratellis' music has not really changed -- their songs are short, snappy & brimming with lots of pep, & lyrics about drinking, girls & the life of a band. "Here We Stand" is pretty clearly intended to be a fun, not terribly deep listen, & the Fratellis succeed magnificentlyin that corner -- although it lacks a cohesive sound all the way through. A little experiment here, a little influence there.
Guitars still dominate their music -- they make up most of the instrumentation, & keep everything catchy & nimble. Steely, acoustic, cycling, sharp dancy melodies & blazing electric riffs are spattered liberally all over the album, sometimes wovenin with some bass. Solid drums back virtually everything, & occasionally they twinein some jangly piano & weird distortion.
And Jon Fratelli always sounds like a nice boy who's just gotten over a broken heart & a hangover -- his voice is strong but a little rough. And he sings songs that are cleverer & tighter than any previous Fratellis songs ("They got yesterday's heroes & last night clothes/You're a game old boy judging by the way you walk"). And they're full of worn-out acid jazz singers, "Mistress Mabel," & thieving gypsy women.
"Here We Are" is the sound of a band figuring out what they want to be when they grow up, & providing a little entertaining music along the way. Worth hearing, but hopefully leading on to something even better.
Why change a winning formula? - By: A. Sweeney, 27 Jun 2008 With 'Costello Music', The Fratellis gave us an album packed full of fast-paced, sing-a-long indie songs with a slightly hard edge & they've done exactly the same with 'Here We Stand', a high quality collection of instantly likable tunes. 'Costello Music' was always going to be a difficult album to top and, although 'Here We Stand' hasn't bettered their debut, it is certainly able to sit comfortably next to it, like a cheeky little brother.
This album is jam packed full of hard-edged riffs, witty lyrics & good-natured, big choruses. 'My Friend John', 'A Heady Tale' & 'Shameless' are three very catchy, brilliant songs & a great way to start the album; the first track featuring a guitar riff the Arctic Monkeys would be proud of, the second opening with a jaunty piano line - a real knees-up tune, while the last of the opening trio, 'Shameless', continues the theme of upbeat, immediately enjoyable songs.
'Look Out Sunshine!', the forthcoming single, is the 'Whistle For The Choir' of the album & if it isn't a huge summer hit (it is releasedin August), I would be extremely surprised. 'Straggler's Moon' is a little darker & slightly less immediate, but still a very good song with a quirky, snappy chorus, reminding me a little of Supergrass. The first single, 'Mistress Mabel', is a great tune & is up there with the quality of singles from their debut album.
Other highlights on the album include the charming, foot-tapping tunes 'Babydoll' & 'Acid Jazz Singer', the slow, heavy rock/breakneck-speed blues contrast of 'Tell Me A Lie' (possibly the heaviest thing they have done to date), 'Lupe Brown', which kicks-off with a celtic-like riff & the other two tracks on the album aren't half-bad either (the last track on the album 'Milk And Money' is especially interesting), giving the listener a good listening experience from the start to the very finish.
All-in-all, this is a very pleasing album & a worthy follow-up to their excellent debut. Perhaps it doesn't quite scale the heights of the very best moments of 'Costello Music', but it really isn't far behind. I would wager that people who enjoyed the first album would be much more likely to enjoy this release than not. A quality second album from the Glaswegians.
