The Cribs

The more cynical might think that the Cribs are equal parts opportunism and pure luck. After all, they've managed to recruit Orange Juice's Edwyn Collins and Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos to produce their last two albums, and have collaborated with an even more impressive list of musicians such as Lee Ranaldo, Bobby Conn and Bernard Butler. Their latest coup? Luring Johnny Marr away from Modest Mouse as their fourth member. Of course, chances are nobody would want to work with them if they weren't very good, and their fourth album, Ignore The Ignorant, proves that there's a reason people are lining up to become an honorary Jarman brother. Combining the abrasiveness of the Libertines and the pop sensibilities of Ash, the band still have the ability to swagger their way through a song when necessary, but there's no shortage of vitriolic lyrics either. So, it's business as usual for the Cribs. As for Johnny Marr? Well, he never threatens to overshadow the rest of the band, even though there's no mistaking his jangly guitar presence. And it never hurts to have someone who knows their way around a catchy tune, although the title track veers a little too closely to the Smiths' "Panic," at times. He might very well turn out to be the missing part of the puzzle for the Cribs, as Ignore The Ignorant is their best all round album to date.