Waterloo to Anywhere

The premature nova that shattered London's expectation-doomed Libertines in their prime may have been a blessing in catastrophe drag. Despite a penchant for press-baiting, chemically induced career and personal immolation, ex-Libs frontman Pete Doherty and new band Babyshambles delivered the arty, brilliant Down In Albion while guitarist Carl Barat's new outfit largely gets back to basics here, arguably picking up his former band's charged, punk-pop gauntlet in the bargain. Barat bristles with contempt on "Bang Bang You're Dead," a poison-pen note aimed straight at former bandmate Doherty that comes complete with a snarky intro redolent of a New Orleans-style jazz funeral. DPT showcases similar trash-thrash charm on "Gin and Milk" and "You F*****g Love It," while "If You Love a Woman" distills decades of garage-punk angst into three minutes of glory. But Barat and DPT are about more than energetic spasms: the moody dancehall vibe of "The Gentry Cove" recalls similar Doherty fixations on Albion, while the schizoid scorcher "The Enemy" and blistering broadside "Doctors and Dealers" wrestle with demons real or imagined.