Like so many bands with outstanding breakout albums, the temptation for fans to use their earliest works as a benchmark for any subsequent albums is huge, and almost impossible to resist. Very few artists start off high and carry on climbing (Arctic Monkeys being a good example), but the majority of bands with breakout debuts, such as The Strokes, Cage the Elephant, and even Nirvana, suffer from a decline in popularity after their follow-up efforts fail to hit the exact heights previously climbed.
The trick with these albums is to listen to them as if they were completely new acts. If you don’t have "Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked" playing in your head, Cage the Elephant’s Melophobia is plain fantastic, while, Nevermind aside, In Utero could be by far and away Nirvana’s best work. It’s this same perspective that you have to take when spinning Glasgow-based rockers The Fratellis' fourth studio album, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied; it's nowhere near Costello Music, but once you give it a chance, you might find you like it all the same.
The opening track, "Me and The Devil," is a prime example of how The Fratellis have evolved in the nine years since their smashing debut; it’s much lighter on the guitar and the scratchy, raw vocals that were prevalent in songs such as "Chelsea Dagger" or "Flathead." It’s a more refined sound, and although in previous LPs Here We Stand or We Need Medicine it falls flat, it’s clear that guitarist Jon, bassist Barry, and drummer Mince have gone back to the drawing board this time and come out with a coherent effort to appease their fans. They spent a great deal of time in the United States and it shows, particularly in Bruce Springsteen-inspired "Desperate Guy" and the superstitiously swinging "Dogtown." There are still the some glimpses at nostalgia, though, with callbacks to their first album, most notably in "Rosanna" and "Baby Don’t You Lie To Me!"
That being said, the first half of the album is far better than the second half. À la First Impressions of Earth, it loses momentum quickly, meandering through more nondescript songs with influences that become slightly heavy-handed. All the same, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied represents a more mature evolution of the band, and is generally a step in the right direction. Costello Music may be long gone, but there's still life left in The Fratellis.