record review: Peter Doherty - Grace/Wastelands REPOST, SANS MP3S

DAMN YOU DMCA.

Don’t let appearances fool you. Pete(r) Doherty is one smart laddie. He can spin lyrics that will make you rethink your condescending image of him shooting up 3 different kinds of drugs at once. He’s always teased us with things like the use of the archaic word “Albion” (an old word for the good ol’ island of Britain), but on Grace/Wastelands, his smarts kick in full blast.

Now I’m not one to follow English tabloids, but I think this album showcases that the guy has finally cleaned himself up. The title of the record conjures images of salvation through the depths of desperation. Maybe Doherty needed to hit rock bottom to produce one of his best albums to date.

Grace/Wastelands is nothing short of brilliant. I haven’t heard such a tightly constructed album in a very long time. It’s gorgeous.

With clever-but-not-too-clever lines like “you could charm the bees knees of the bees” (Last of the English Roses) to his signature cheekiness: “Your boyfriend's name was Dave/But I was bold and brave/And now you're mine” (Little Death Around the Eyes-even the song title is brilliant!), Doherty never fails to please. Standout tracks include the ever so catchy lead single “Last of the English Roses”, the hauntingly beautiful acoustic song “1939 Returning” (treading into unmapped lyrical territory, it tells the tale of a Nazi soldier) and the jazzy piano driven number “Sweet By and By” showcasing some scratchier vocals and Petey’s alter ego as an American performer from the 50’s.

Perhaps the most tragic of the bunch is “Broken Love Song”: if the ominous chord progression weren’t heartbreaking enough, try listening to Doherty sing “they are the loneliest” over and over and over again. Look no further than to Doherty’s adoption of his full name “Peter” for this album as a sign of a new and ever so improved musician; Grace/Wastelands is simultaneously one of the most beautifully reflective and defiantly triumphant records of the year. And there’s no shortage of acoustic-y goodness, either.
4/5

It dropped in Australia on the 13th and in the UK today. You can find it in stores next Tuesday. Waste no time. Pre-order it today.