Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Almost a decade has gone past in the blink of an eye since The Fratellis released what was undoubtedly one of the great, if not the catchiest, of albums of 2006. A decade in which much has changed in the life of many people and in which the thoughts may switch to that summer where you could hear their big hits dominate the radio and even get commercial adoration as being used as celebrations to any league goal scored up and down the length of the U.K.; they switch because for a brief time it seemed that 2006, especially the summer of that year was the true combination of the purple patch and the mystifying salad days all rolled into one as people remember being happy and the music being insanely repeatable.

A decade on and a lot of that horrible euphemism of growing up has been done, the real world has not only been seen from a distance but visited, lived amongst and the language become of a second nature. It is has been with the help of wiped clean canvas and with the help of being Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied.

The fourth studio album from The Fratellis shows the difference in what a decade can bring, not only to the music listener but to the bands that weave such magic and whilst Costello Music was arguably one of the most fun albums of the last 15 years to listen to, the strength of character and the ability to show growth, to change the way in which the group is perceived across a wider range of songs is to be congratulated in Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied.

The insanely catch riffs are still there but these days, like a 40 year old suddenly deciding to give up alcohol because it was leading them astray and now blaming the ills on tap water, they are hidden deep within the musical subtext. The listener knows they exist because they have grown up with them but now the more serious side to a life well lived must be taken and whilst they are missed, what has replaced them is even more demanding, more fruitful, more mature and more relevant to the times we live in.

Tracks such as Imposters (Little By Little), Desperate Guy, Rosanna and the excellent opener of Me and the Devil pave the way to a new beginning, of a more serious and in a way more contented sound for the band and by going down this more open minded route, The Fratellis have not only shaken things up but also the past glories that were put aside in the slightly off kilter We Need Medicine album, are given the credit they have long been due; just credit in which a new direction has become more plausible and established.

Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied is exactly what The Fratellis need and what their fans had no idea that they required, a storming contrast and one that is ready to deliver such fine tales of triumph.

Ian D. Hall