Babyshambles - "The Lost Art of Murder"

Pete Doherty is every journalists greatest dream: a genius songwriter, bent on self destruction and public spectacle (ex: crashing Jaguars, painting with his own blood and openly discussing his drug addition). I've always done my best to push all public image under the rug, and focus on the phenomenal songwriting he's delivered in the last ten years, and while Down in Albion is crammed with so many moments of effortless magic, I worried I may never hear another proper album out of Babyshambles.

Fortunately, Babyshambles have been busy recording their second LP, Shotter's Nation, and will be releasing it on 10/01. With Stephen Street (Smiths, Blur) on the boards, "The Lost Art of Murder" showcases Street's ability to capture a cleaner sound without sacrificing any of Doherty's intimacy. It's as if Pete is unaware of a microphone or audience, allowing lyric and melody to escape him without filter. It reminds me of a beautifully tragic moment, in the infamous Youtube clip, of Pete strolling around his dismantled apartment playing an impromptu melody.

Preorder Shotter's Nation here

[stream] Delivery (video)
[stream] behind the scenes for Delivery video
[mp3] Babyshambles - The Lost Art of Murder

Tracklist w/ quotes from the band:

1. Carry On Up The Morning - (Adam "I had in mind a sort of early nineties hip hop or Soul 2 Soul type of groove.")

2. Delivery - (Drew "We feel that bands are too influenced by Americans. This is about Britain: 'grab a drink and go down town where all the mods and the skins will get together and pray it's 1969 forever' ")

3. You talk- (Drew "Peter wrote it in the Priory, I thought it sounded a bit like Nirvana's About A Girl at first")

4. Unbilotitled - (Adam "It's personal lyrics. It's the equivalent to Albion")

5. Side Of the Road - (Peter "A garagey song where we were trying to out white stripe the White Stripes")

6. Crumb Begging Baghead - (Adam "It's got a kind of stomping Stonesy kind of thing and elements of the Stone Roses")

7. Unstookietitled -(Drew "We took it from being a ballad/big rock sound live to something altogether different – and better – in the studio")

8. French Dog Blues - (Peter "He's the immortal character, he pops up all over the place in London on tube trains or old ladies' shopping baskets.")

9. There She Goes - (Drew "I saw a documentary and heard the producer talking about Walk On The Wild Side and I knew what kind of feel it should have")

10. Baddies Boogie - (Peter "A kind of baddy that comes good, like The A-Team")

11. Deft Left Hand - (Drew "It’s the Brit Pop song on the album it starts of sounding a bit like an Oasis song and then the verse comes in and it sounds like Blur.")

12. The Lost Art Of Murder - (Peter: "Bert Jansch used to pop round on Sunday afternoons")