Originally released through Rough Trade Records in October 2002, Up The Bracket was British alt-rock band The Libertines’ debut studio release. Produced by The Clash’s Mick Jones, the album drew from a myriad of genres–including indie rock, skiffle, blues, dub and English bucolic pop–and helped restore the popularity of guitar-based music in the early-2000s.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2022, Up The Bracket was reissued in a variety of formats including deluxe CD and vinyl packages. Though all the physical anniversary editions contained a new remaster of the stereo mix, a Dolby Atmos version of the album–remixed from the original multitracks–quietly became available to listeners on streaming services that support immersive audio such as Apple Music and Tidal.

Though the Atmos mix has been accessible via streaming for nearly two years, we at IAA are thrilled to now offer the album as an exclusive immersive digital download through our online shop!

Libertines Up The Bracket Dolby Atmos MKV Download IAA

While streaming services offer convenience and access to a vast library of music, they also severely compress the audio to save bandwidth. With lossless Dolby TrueHD, the inner detail and sonic clarity is much better preserved for home listeners.

Given the album’s raw stripped-down sound, Up The Bracket doesn’t exactly jump out as a natural candidate for this treatment. That said, the album opens up surprisingly well in Dolby Atmos. Even though it’s only a four-piece band with very few overdubs, the immersive mix features unexpectedly-strong separation of the individual elements without diminishing the overall weight of the band.

The soundstage varies from track-to-track, but the rhythm section and lead vocal are usually anchored to the front–while additional elements such as the rhythm guitars, harmony vocals, and reverb returns appear beside or behind the listener. The Atmos mix generally makes limited use of the rear surrounds and rear heights, instead focusing most of the instrumentation into the front, front height, and side surround speakers.

“Vertigo” kicks off with Gary Powell’s drums extending from the front speakers up the front heights, playing nicely off the rhythm guitars mostly isolated in the side surrounds. During the chorus, another electric guitar pops up in the front left height speaker along with harmony vocals exclusively from the sides.

“Death On The Stairs” instead offers more of a front-focused perspective, with the rhythm guitars appearing between the front and side channels. Note that if you’re listening on a 9.1.4 or 9.1.6 system, these guitars will be relocated largely to the front wide speakers.

The title track is certainly a highlight, starting off with the opening vocals completely isolated in the side speakers. The drum kit again spans the entire front wall, with the dueling rhythm guitars pushed entirely into the sides.

"Tell The King” features the acoustic guitar primarily overhead, filling up both the front and rear height speakers, while the rest of the band comes in from below. There’s even a fun bit of a movement in “I Get Along,” where the rhythm guitars shift between the front and rear speakers to great effect.

Up The Bracket is the seventh entry in an ongoing series of high-resolution digital immersive releases from IAA and Beggars Group, one of the world's largest and most-respected independent label groups. Beggars Group is home to 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade, XL Recordings and Young, as well as a growing publishing wing (Beggars Music) and a successful catalog imprint (Beggars Arkive).

Many more new album releases from Beggars Group are already available to stream in Dolby Atmos, including key titles from artists such as FKA Twigs, Sapha, Daughter, Ibeyi, ANOHI, and more. Over the coming months, we plan to make more of this fantastic immersive catalog available in hi-res downloadable form through our online shop.

Purchase Up The Bracket (2022 Remaster) in the IAA Shop!

Author picture
About the Author
Immersive Audio Album is a marketplace where immersive and surround sound artists can sell their music.