The Fratellis

Here We Stand

[2.5/5]

We hate to sound like some record label douche, but on Here We Stand, the follow-up to Glaswegian power-pop trio the Fratellis’ invigorating debut, we just don’t hear a single. Perhaps we’re grading on a curve; it would be impossible to match transcendent bursts of raw rock melody like 2006’s “Flathead.” Yet Stand still displays plenty of fuzzy, British Invasion-style tunefulness. “Look Out Sunshine” has a pint-raising, sing-along-at-the-pub uplift, and the Little Richard-quoting “Straggler’s Moon” shows the band have done their rock homework. But as before, much of the amped-up riffing reveals influences of more recent vintage, i.e., the White Stripes (“Tell Me A Lie”) and Supergrass (every other song). Like that other game-changing Brit-rock trio, the Fratellis may simply have heightened our expectations by sounding too good too soon. (CHERRYTREE/INTERSCOPE) Luke O’Neil