Ignore the Ignorant

The Cribs display a greater discipline and focus on Ignore the Ignorant, tempering their rough-hewn attack with strategic refinements. The obvious new element here is the presence of guitarist Johnny Marr, whose primal riffage for the Smiths continues to be a key influence on modern rock. Marr’s gritty yet cogent playing fits the Cribs’ serrated melodies quite comfortably, lending pop-laced tunes like “Hari Kari” and the album’s title number extra heft. As before, lead singer Ryan Jarman defines the band’s attitude with his aggrieved, slightly cheeky swagger and his vinegary vocal delivery gives the chronic discontent of “We Were Aborted,” “Cheat On Me” and “Victim of Mass Production” a streetwise authority. “Emasculate Me” and “Nothing” pick up the generally morose tempo of the album with bursts of early punk effervescence. Jarman releases his inner Iggy Pop on lounge-tinged tracks like “We Share the Same Skies” and “Stick to Yr Guns.” With Marr on board, the Cribs display a greater maturity while retaining the guttersnipe edge that made their earlier records so much fun.