Babyshambles’ Down in Albion is, at first glance, just another Britpop album: it has some really fun tracks, counterbalanced by some moodier moments of mumbling, but doesn’t demand too much from listeners. Indeed, if there hadn’t been so much hubbub surrounding the never-sober sometimes-boyfriend of Kate Moss, front man Pete Doherty, Down in Albion could have slipped by without much notice. This isn’t to say Babyshambles doesn’t deserve the attention they’ve received from critics across the pond, though.
It’s a good album, but a widely varied one. While one listener might enjoy the reggae-influenced “Sticks & Stones,” another might prefer the soft-rock “Albion.” “A’Rebours” is a fast-paced pop song with the perfect combination of the artist’s conflict and sunny-day optimism, while “La Belle et la Bête” roots in swing, which will be particularly pleasing to fans of Doherty’s earlier band, The Libertines.
The album is a hefty 16 tracks and for each listener there will be a few that could have been kiboshed. Though there will be a few songs that won’t get as much attention, Down in Albion provides at least a couple tracks for every indie-rocker to bob nonchalantly to.