2003
5 keepers
keeper avg .500
I see references to glam rock (as in Freddy Mercury) a lot, and the visual nods to 80's hair metal are obvious, but as singer/guitarist Justin Hawkins has mentioned, AC/DC were also clearly an influence, specifically on "Givin' Up" and "Stuck In A Rut." The best homage to AC/DC is "Black Shuck"****, which starts the album, adding some mystical comic drama (it's written about the local "black dog"), which Justin H punctuates with a hysterical Little Richard "oo-oo-ooh" at the end of each line. Justin H's tongue is planted firmly in cheek throughout, most obviously on the hilarious "Get Your Hands off My Woman"***** (motherf-er) and "Growing on Me"***** (about an embarrassing problem); the former is one line of parodic obscenity, repeat (try not to be falsetto-ing it the rest of the day - it amused Ben Folds so much he covered it), while the latter highlights the Hawkins brothers' skill at just writing a bunch of great hooks.
The album's biggest single "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"**** is clearly excessive in several ways (goofy falsettos, glam posturing, chord changes) while remaining catchy, incredibly making it to Top 40 in the US. "Love on the Rocks with No Ice"****, the hardest rocker on the album, adds STP 90's grunge with AC/DC's twangy stomp. And hair metal wouldn't be hair metal without a power ballad, so the Darkness provide two, the crunchy "Love Is Only a Feeling" and the more sentimental "Holding My Own," which close each (imaginary) album side. Though from note one it's hard to take these guys very seriously, stylistic excesses aside it's a pretty consistent (though front-loaded) album throughout, as the guys have no shortage of catchy riffs. Unfortunately it's also a grating album to listen to, another victim of the loudness war; if the album had a little dynamic range it would sit comfortably in the company of the great 70's hard rock albums, as the Hawkins brothers certainly can play.
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