Ignore The Ignorant Review

Released: Sep 7, 2009 (UK) / Nov 10, 2009 (US)
Genre: Indie Rock / Post-Punk
Label: Wichita/Warner Bros. Records
Number Of Tracks: 12
With the addition of guitarist Johnny Marr, The Cribs' latest album adds a sleek twist to their indie rock sound.

Sound:	9.5
Lyrics:	8.5
Impression:	9.5
Overall rating:	9.2
Users rating:	7.1
Comments:	14

overall: 9

Featured review by: UG Team, on november 30, 2009

Sound: The Cribs, the English quartet that has already made a name for itself via catchy indie rock tunes, has struck gold with its fourth record. The West Yorkshire band already had an unusual twist thanks to two of the members being twins, and certainly that unique connection allowed for a natural chemistry to exist. But with Ignore The Ignorant, it marks the first album since the addition of Smiths’ legend Johnny Marr, and it’s a striking difference in sound. The Cribs always had a good sense of melody, but the trademark effects-driven, textured sound of Marr adds an entirely new dimension. Marr apparently has declared himself to be officially a full-time member (along with his other gig in Modest Mouse), which is a huge benefit to a band that was slightly rough-around-the-edges for the first three albums.

Ignore The Ignorant starts out with a few songs that could be considered single material, with the energetic and pop-tinged “We Were Aborted” as the opener. The power chords that are played for the first minute or so could be associated with any rock band, but not long after you hear Marr’s unique sound interjected between charismatic vocalist Ryan Jarman’s vocal lines. The first few tracks do have traditional rock arrangements, but thanks to memorable, catchy choruses (which again, the band has always excelled at), the first three songs holds your interest.

The Cribs’ more impressive side comes out with songs like “City of Bugs,” which veers into experimental territory. The track begins what sounds like growling bass noises, followed quickly after by a beautifully picked section by Marr. It’s around this point in the album when The Smiths’ influence comes to the forefront. There’s an undeniably smooth, yet moody aspect to Marr’s style as a guitarist, and it’s accentuated when Jarman opts for a more sedate vocal style. He never sounds like Morrissey by any means, but he still has a low-key, effortless quality on “City of Bugs” and “Last Year’s Snow” that recalls some alternative rock artists from the 1980’s.

Other highlights include the most rock-oriented track on Ignore The Ignorant, “Emasculate Me.” That particular song emphasizes Marr’s gritty lead work as much as his ambient effects, and the underlying melody ties it all together. The title track, in terms of song construction, is the most reminiscent of an actual Smiths’ song. If you’ve missed having a dose of old school Morrissey, “Ignore The Ignorant” will be a welcome addition to your playlist. That being said, The Cribs does a fine job of maintaining its original identity even with Marr’s presence, and as indie rockers go, they written a solid fourth album. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: The Cribs have proven in the past that they have a knack for penning clever lyrics, and Ignore The Ignorant is chock full of quirky humor. Whether Jarman declares his worldliness in the title track (“In these passionate places; There's a piece of me in every town; And the dialect changes; They never seem to wear me out”) or the imperfection of relationships in “Cheat On Me” (“I could be someone else if you'd rather; Try to win you over like a new stepfather; Smart but still a sucker for whoever asks you; I pictured the scene so you won’t have to spell it out for me”), he knows how to put a spin on the run-of-the-mill lyrical topics. // 9

Impression: While it could be argued that Marr has suddenly become the driving force of The Cribs (and there’s plenty of evidence to support such a claim), the new lineup works incredibly seamlessly together. Ryan Jarman is somewhat of a chameleon with his vocal style, going from a Julian Casablancas-type approach in “Stick To Yr Guns” to a punk-like passion in “Nothing.” There is certainly more of a Smiths’ sound than ever before, but The Cribs haven’t eliminated their indie rock roots on Ignore The Ignorant. // 9

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: patch17, on october 08, 2009

Sound: From the moment We Were Aborted was released as a free download, I, and probably many other Cribs fans sensed that Ignore the Ignorant was going to be something special. Ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has really helped the band fill out their sound, and expand outwards to another more refined sound.

The album combines classic Cribs ramshackle Indie (We Were Aborted, Hari Kari, Emsculate Me), a slightly (forgive me for saying so) pop-ish sound (We Share The Same Skies, Victim Of Mass Production), and a more thought out, melodic sound (Save Your Secrets, Cheat On Me). Its on the more complex songs like "Victims Of Mass Production" and "Cheat On Me" where I feel Marr's influence really shows. My top 3 songs have to be the 6 minute plus masterpiece City Of Bugs, palm-muted rocker Nothing, and first single Cheat On Me, although the other songs are hardly what I'd call filler material, Emasculate Me, We Were Aborted, and the sadly beautiful Save Your Secrets are also fantastic tracks. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The Cribs have always written good lyrics in my opinion, and this album is no change. It was talked about as being more political, and was partly inspired by the BNP winning a seat in the Jarman brothers' hometown of Wakefield, title track Ignore The Ignorant and We Were Aborted convey this more political sounding message, while other topics like consumerism (Victim Of Mass Production. Possibly my favourite lyric from the album is "But I'm all messed up baby, like the Berlin wall tonight" from City Of Bugs. // 8

Impression: Compared to the Lo-Fi Indy Pop of their self-titled debut, the ramshackle noise of The New Fellas, this album is more in the vein of previous effort "Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever", which I see as a transition from the New Fellas to the sound of this album. Ryan Jarman's singing has improved a lot, and Gary's voice is still strong. Marr's influence shows, and has added to the band's strengths, despite doubts as to whether he would fit the band's style. If I lost this album, I would definetly buy it again, as it is an excellent 12 tracks, and the bands best effort yet. // 10

Comments

[nairanvac]

I wish I knew what the word "ramshackle" meant.

[crezwell]

Get an education then, Google search or even just buy a dictionary. Any would help u look less stupid.
On topic, love these guys' earlier stuff, love The Smiths, so are looking forward to giving this a proper listen. Ive had We Share The Same Skies in my head since MOTD2 use it but didnt know it was The Cribs til i got the album.

[BuckleyFanTom]

love the earlier stuff, hate this album

[dollyDagger]

wichita is a great label. sky larkin is also signed to wichita, they also have a fantastic new album out. johnny marr is incredible. he even plays guitar whilst brushing his teeth. sure, the sound of the cribs would change once you add the sound of the best guitarist of the 80's to it. its a more matured sound. another great album.

[PiecesOfRainbow]

Have to agree amazing album in my opinion the best one released this year. Seen them live one of the best gigs of my life.

[patch17]

where did you see them? i saw them at exeter lemongrove, and they were bloody amazing!!!

[paddikins]

patch17 wrote:

where did you see them? i saw them at exeter lemongrove, and they were bloody amazing!!!

I saw them at the Lemongrove too.
We met them out back when the fire alarm went off (:

[patch17]

lucky!!! i was well worried that the gig was gonna be cancelled cos something important had blown or something like that

["Tele" Steve]

I thought Johnny Marr had become a full member of Modest Mouse. I guess he could do both though.

["Tele" Steve]

"Tele" Steve wrote:

I thought Johnny Marr had become a full member of Modest Mouse. I guess he could do both though.

Guess I should read the article more carefully. Then my question would be answered.

[freddo99]

you've gotta love the cribs! ive seen them a couple of times too and they were bloody brilliant! i cant think of one medicore song on this album

[Kurapica]

I'm really looking forawrd to hearing this album. I never heard all of the third album, but loved the first two and am a huuuge Smiths fan. Quite exciting.

[[travis]]

I saw the picture in the UG main page, and the guy is holding up 1 dollar bills like they're 100s. lol. I'm sure it was planned, but it just looks odd. ; )

[dollyDagger]

witchita is great. SKY LARKIN is also signed to wichita. they are touring together and both playing gigs in london. great.