The Libertines Release ‘Anthems for Doomed Youth’

Eleven years after an acrimonious breakup fueled by living legend Pete Doherty’s out-of-control lifestyle, the best British band of the aughts is back. This album is an exhilarating return to form, and the once-young Turks — a little bit older, perhaps somewhat wiser — are ready to storm the barricades yet again. The bombastic “Glasgow Coma Scale Blues” is a wry reference to the tension between Doherty and co-frontman Carl Barât. The flip side of this shambolic yet synergistic relationship is tenderly evinced on Doherty’s poignant ode to Barât, “You’re My Waterloo.” The band’s literary allusions also shine through on the reggae-tinged anthem “Gunga Din” and the transcendent “Anthem for Doomed Youth.” Our once-fleeting faith has been — like the bodacious band that is the Libertines — revitalized and restored.