This week a few tracks from one of my favorite bands, the Libertines. They’re a British rock band who put out two albums in the late ’90s. These songs are from their second, self-titled album.

When they wrote this album, the two lead singers/guitarists, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, were having serious interpersonal issues largely stemming from Pete’s drug problems.

You can see their love/hate relationship going on in the songs, though you can also interpret the songs as being about any strained relationship.

Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now (right-click-save to download)

Libertines – What Became of the Likely Lads

Libertines – Music When the Lights Go Out

Libertines – What Katie Did (this one doesn’t fit in with the others theme-wise, but is a lot of fun)

After this album was released, the Libertines split up and went their separate ways.

Carl Barat formed a band called Dirty Pretty Things, and their first album “Waterloo From Anywhere” came out in the last couple of years.

Here’s a track off of it. This is the best-known track from the album, but most of the others are just as good.

Dirty Pretty Things – Bang Bang You’re Dead

And Pete Doherty formed a band called Babyshambles, which also released an album, “Down in Albion,” a year or two ago.

This song was actually written for the Libertines, but it’s Babyshambles’ version I’m giving you.

(Oh, and by the way, don’t ask me about the band’s name. I have no clue.)

Babyshambles – Albion

Most of these songs are pretty clean–”Can’t Stand Me Now” has some language, but it’s masked by Pete’s accent. Other songs on the albums aren’t always so clean, just fyi.