GTGC Reviews
email: gavinals69@aol.com
  • Reviews
  • Live Music
  • THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE TABLE

The Darkness - "Pinewood Smile"

8/10/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Do you believe in a thing called love? Well apparently you did back in 2003…yes 14 years ago, a little band from Lowestoft in Suffolk called THE DARKNESS ejaculated onto the scene like the most flamboyant of glam rock money shots with their debut album “Permission To Land”…the old-school rock ‘n’ rollers (fronted by spandex-clad mad man Justin Hawkins) instantly became hot property after an immensely successful year (They held off the mighty IRON MAIDEN at the top of the charts and won everything from Kerrang! to Brit Awards…they even had a stab at the coveted Christmas Number 1!)…they were touted as saviors of British rock with a multi-platinum selling album and the world was theirs for the taking…but somehow it all went wrong. In the wake of their follow up; 2005’s “One Way Ticket To Hell…And Back”, Justin left the band, tired of the whole process of recording and touring, coupled with a stint in rehab, and ultimately, the band split up…after such promise, that one way ticket would never find its way back…or so we thought. Fast forward a couple of years and after a reformation, we find them in 2017 releasing their fifth album; “Pinewood Smile”…enduring one-hit wonders or a long lost treasure? Let’s find out…

The album opens up with “All The Pretty Girls” and after a slow-building, droning guitar intro we’re met with Hawkins unmistakable shriek…his falsetto vocals giving the band enough of a unique edge to earn them their popularity early on but over time it’s become sort of a gimmick and detracts from the song to a degree…musically it’s solid rock with a fairly decent solo to boot, one thing that can be said is that instrumentally they’ve always delivered…a shaky start. Follow up “Buccaneers Of Hispaniola” is an immediate remedy however…an early album highlight, it’s got a brilliant rhythm, it’s incredibly slick and some wonderful indie-rock hooks, couple with some enjoyable riffs, this is a quality song and is much better overall, this is The Darkness on form.

As I mentioned, musically, The Darkness have never disappointed…”Solid Gold” capitalises on the classic rock influence, the AC/DC and DEF LEPPARD inspired riffs, but the song has a very tongue-in-cheek feel, attacking the industry and their critics with their trademark blend of humour…speaking of which, “Southern Trains” is a brash and punk-inspired piece…but being so very British, we have a song about delayed services and rail commutes…while “Japanese Prisoner Of Love”…about the uh, intimacies of prison relationships shall we say…dropping the soap and such…is a generally quirky track, albeit random. “I Wish I Was In Heaven” has another strong indie-rock vibe with pop elements, but again those vocals seem like their being milked, we get it, Justin can hit some impressive notes but, here they spoil a generally decent song, before we finish up on “Stampede Of Love”…while yes, it does have Western qualities, a stampede conjures up images of chaos, frantic animals, galloping across the plains…this has all the urgency of a galloping sloth. The deluxe edition has four extra songs…”Rack Of Glam”, Justin’s tribute to tits I guess, while there’s a sweet but peculiar acoustic track about losing his virginity, although nothing entirely memorable. While it’s fair to say, I honestly don’t think The Darkness will ever match the glory of their debut, and to be honest I think they know that too, so really it’s unfair to compare everything they do to that first album…look what happened to LINKIN PARK with “Hybrid Theory”…for what it’s worth it’s a decent record with some enjoyable moments and some good, solid rock ‘n’ roll…but it’s not a world beater…solid bronze if anything…[6]

www.thedarknesslive.com
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    News & Reviews

    Gavin J Griffiths, a.k.a GavTheGothicChav, lover of new music and supporter of bands. Inspired by a mixture of horror and comedy, and fueled by a blend of alcohol and sarcasm...if you're a singer / in a band and would like a review written up, please do get in touch via the email address at the top of the page and I'll get back to you ASAP. Much love x

    Follow @GavinJGriffiths

      CHAV CHAT

    ASK GAV!

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Acoustic
    Alternative
    Article
    Black Metal
    Blues
    Book
    Classic
    Classic Rock
    Comedy
    Competition
    Compilation
    Country
    Death Metal
    Doom
    Electronic
    Emo
    EP
    France
    Funk
    Games
    Glam Rock
    Gothic
    Grime
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Hip Hop
    Hip-Hop
    Indie
    Industrial
    Interview
    Jazz
    J-Rock
    Melodic Death
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Newport
    New Wave
    Nu Metal
    Nu-Metal
    Pop
    Pop Punk
    Pop-Punk
    Pop Rock
    Post Punk
    Post-Punk
    Prog
    Punk
    Punk Rock
    Rap
    Reggae
    Rock
    Rock 'N' Roll
    Shoegaze
    Ska
    Sludge
    Soft Rock
    Southern Metal
    Southern Rock
    Stoner
    Symphonic Metal
    Synth
    Thrash
    Unsigned
    Urban

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly