Free Download: The Cribs' New Song with Johnny Marr

The Cribs with Johnny Marr (second from left)

He helped Modest Mouse climb to the top of the indie rock mountain. Can Johnny Marr do the same for retro-minded British punk trio the Cribs?

Well, it's time to find out. The Cribs -- with Marr officially joining brothers Ryan, Ross, and Gary Jarman as a full-fledged band member -- are offering up "We Were Aborted," the first track from Ignore the Ignorant, their fourth album, as a free download via their official website. It's available through tomorrow, July 8, at 10 A.M. GMT, or 5 A.M. EST. You'll have to submit your email address to get the download link.

Not surprisingly, Marr's guitar work on "We Were Aborted" ascends to peaks never before reached by the gritty, no-nonsense Jarmans, whose excellent but unrefined pub punk anthems leaned more on rowdy bravado than technical skill. Marr's sprightly lead riff recalls the mid-'90s indie rock of Afghan Whigs, and even a bit of Eddie Van Halen's "Van Hagar"-era sheen.

Download the track for yourself and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Ignore the Ignorant is out Sept. 7 in the U.K. A spokesperson for the band told SPIN.com that the album's U.S. release, via Warner Bros., is planned for late 2009 or early 2010.