All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is the first Libertines album that’s just “fine.”
When I started the Indiecator in 2015, one of the first reviews I wrote was for the Libertines’ third album, Anthems for Doomed Youth. This album was a big deal at the time, since it was the band’s first new music in 11 years, coming after a lengthy hiatus wherein the Libertines occasionally seemed to have broken up for good. I rated the album fairly, partially because I was just excited to hear the Libertines again, but truthfully haven’t listened to it much since. As much as I played the first two Libertines albums on repeat during the mid-2000s, Anthems for Doomed Youth didn’t have the same pull.The same can be said for the Libertines fourth album, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade.
Despite another long gap between releases, almost nine years, this album arrived with minimal fanfare (compared to the considerable buzz ahead of Anthems for Doomed Youth). Maybe things are quieter this time because there’s currenty no acrimony between the band’s two singers, Pete Doherty and Carl Barât, whose famously-volatile relationship underpinned many of their early songs (plus a few on Anthems for Doomed Youth). Maybe the band is getting older and more mature, and the garage rock of their heyday is no longer a cultural force. Either way, All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is the first Libertines album that’s just “fine.”
To start on a positive note, the album has a few standout tracks that would easily make it onto a future “Best of” compilation. My favorite Libertines tracks always involve both Barât and Doherty sharing vocal duties (think “Death on the Stairs,” “Can’t Stand Me Now” or “Barbarians”). “Shiver” delivers this on All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. As the two singers trade off verses about the state of post-Queen Elizabeth II Britain, it features one of the band’s best guitar melodies to date over fantastic drumming by Gary Powell. Similarly, “Be Young” has some classic Libertines guitar sounds that change pace fast enough to give you whiplash, and it briefly throws in some reggae towards the end, a la “Gunga Din” from Anthems for Doomed Youth.
Elsewhere, the Libertines bring back some older melodies in ways that are sure to please their very patient fanbase. “I Have a Friend” has loud riffs and a few frantic guitar solos throughout, and Doherty sings its verses with similar vocal cadence to “Last Post on the Bugle” from their 2004 self-titled album. The album’s final track “Songs They Never Play On the Radio” has echoes of their early hit “Don’t Look Back Into the Sun,” which makes it feel as if the band have come full circle, making it an opportune closer. Meanwhile, “Baron’s Claw” is so out of left field with its flashy jazz horns that it somehow works, and is like nothing the band have done before.
The remainder of All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is a little less captivating, starting with the album’s opening track “Run Run Run.” This straightforward rocker where Barât takes the lead is a decent way to kick things off, but it could be mistaken for something from his former side project Dirty Pretty Things if not for Doherty’s chaotic backing shouts. This track segues into the mid-tempo glam rock of “Mustangs,” where Barât again has lead vocals, although a bevy of background singers join in halfway through. It’s a little too polished for my liking, and the album doesn’t really get going until the aforementioned third track “I Have a Friend.”
All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is surprisingly backloaded with its best material, and unfortunately sags quite a bit in the middle. “Man With the Melody” ironically lacks much of a melody, and a rare vocal appearance from the Libertines bassist John Hassall and suspenseful strings can’t make up for a plodding rhythm. “Oh Shit” comes off as just being a more generic version of “Run Run Run.” “Night of the Hunter” borrows its melody from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” but that’s basically the only memorable thing about it.
If All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade had been released right on the heels of Anthems for Doomed Youth, its shortcomings could be chalked up to the Libertines clearing out the surplus of ideas from their lengthy hiatus. Instead, the gap between these albums is almost as long as their hiatus, and there’s no longer the pleasant surprise of “oh my God they actually made new music!” Outside of this context, it does have several strong tracks that show the band still have great ideas, and are willing to take risks. Let’s just hope that the next time around, we don’t have to wait almost a decade to hear them.
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