“Give me a D! Give me an Arkness!” Justin Hawkins & co. are back, with the usual mix of panache, chutzpah, flamboyance, and catchy rock’n’roll.
With song (and album) titles like Easter Is Cancelled and Rock And Roll Deserves To Die they may be raising a few eyebrows, and that’s even before we’ve mentioned the album cover art which depicts Justin Hawkins as a super-buff Jesus breaking himself off a cross. Well, they’ve sure got our attention with that, haven’t they?
As usual, things are not what they seem. These titles primarily signal a band that is trying to add some depth to their lyrics. Bassist Franke Poullain said, “Rock’n’roll is so uniform now. Everybody dresses the same, looks the same, sounds the same. It’s pathetic. That is what deserves to die. Let’s kill the cliché. Let’s break the crucifix. That’s partly what the album is about.”
The Darkness have always managed to mix the flamboyance of Queen with the down-to-earth rock’n’roll of Thin Lizzy. This remains their sonic foundation, but at this point in the game they more than anything sound like themselves.
They have struggled to live down the monster hit I Believe In A Thing Called Love and the early image which still sees them painted as a novelty humour band. These days, they stand comfortably on their own feet and appreciate having a monster hit in their arsenal that will always get the audience going.
The album kicks off with the single (and hilarious video) Rock And Roll Deserves To Die which works up quite the momentum – which you would never see coming after the very tender start with flute and mandolin. This makes it all the more effective when Justin finally lets off a banshee scream and the song kicks into high gear.
The title track Easter Is Cancelled offers a similarly towering anthemic experience, as it condemns evil and corruption and pleads for the world to have a new chance for peace. All the while, catchy riffs keep rolling at us with speed and flair.
On the other side of the scale, How Can I Lose Your Love seems like a sweet little love song – at least until you say ‘now wait a minute’ and take another look at what the title actually says. In Another Life is a bittersweet, emotional tune about unrequited love. Heart Explodes is a nice mid-tempo song about finding freedom to love again after a failed relationship. The album definitely has its poignant moments.
Not all cases of love lost calls for poignancy, though, but the anger and hatred on Choke On It does come with a wink in the eye. The chorus is as scorching as the lyrics, but you can’t help but smile at the lyrical pairing of “hors d’oeuvre” and “Heimlich manoeuvre.”
At first, The Darkness were hailed for bringing joy back to music after the dreary, serious 1990s. Then they were slagged off for it. They’ve never tried to be a humour act like Spinal Tap, but they definitely would rather be a fun band than not.
For this reason, despite all the slagging off that they have received and will continue to receive, they are not afraid to embrace this side of them, and I love them for it.
They certainly don’t do it all the time, but one example is Heavy Metal Lover. The lyrics are nothing less than hilarious, as they go to great lengths to describe how “metal” his woman is (and how much he loves her for it).
When all is said and done, the final track We Are the Guitar Men ends up being a poignant summary of what this band is all about, paying tribute to the personal importance of rock’n’roll not just to themselves but to anyone.
Were it not for my guitar
My hands would both be idle
My brain suicidal
For I would not have an outlet
For the tidal wave of feelings
In my heart
The song ends up being a hymn to their beloved rock’n’roll, with Queen-like vocal choirs (and Brian May-sounding guitar work!). It contains some lovely melodic guitar work, which ends with an amazing finger-tap outro which feels just like an… Eruption. (Let’s just hope that Eddie Van Halen’s lawyers won’t hear it.)
Easter Is Cancelled is the sixth album from The Darkness and one of their better ones. If anything, it gets a bit back to the more adventurous flamboyance of their second album One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back. Who knows if the album will be able to convert any non-believers to their cause, but the faithful have certainly been richly rewarded.
The Darkness are back, tongue firmly planted in their cheeks, pants strapped on tightly, foil-wrapped cucumbers optional, and with some existential questioning thrown in for good measure.
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