The Cribs

The New Fellas (2005)

Jesse Raub

The Cribs are poised to take over the airwaves!

Hey kids, be the latest on your block to pick up this gem!

At least, as long as you dig guitar-heavy poppy rock that borders on the new dance. The Cribs are set to be the next British buzz band, following the Libertines, Futureheads, and Bloc Party, and describing their sound involves an amalgamation of all those acts, but, you know, radio friendly. I've always felt that the one thing we needed was more radio-friendly rock. Always.

It's hard to listen to the Cribs without feeling like they're just riding a trend. Their songs are formulaic and unoriginal. Their melodies are safe and catchy. What more do you need? A personal stamp of approval from a major magazine? Well, SPIN gave them a writeup for SXSW. Still not proof? How about the charts: "Hey Scenesters" is a Top 30 hit in the UK. Why aren't you worshipping this band right now? Maybe it's just because that they haven't scored the major/hip-indie label contract yet. Oh wait, they're on Bright Eyes', Bloc Party's, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's old label. Hmmm…still not enough? Well, how about this: They had a song on "The OC!" Okay, that clinched it, I'm convinced! "The OC" accepts only quality music to play on their television program, so of course the Cribs must be awesome!

All in all, this album won't turn any heads, won't start any revolutions, won't matter at all in about six or seven years. So go buy the album if you want, listen to it a few times, enjoy it to the extent that you wish. It's catchy, it's poppy. You'll have a blast. Then you'll forget about it, find the next trend-riders, and hop on board.