Here to Save Rock n? Roll (Permission To Land - Darkness)

Member Name: Padds2

Product:	Permission To Land - Darkness
Date:	30/08/03 (271 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic album, great guitar music, and all done with humour

Disadvantages: Just have to get round that voice

One listen through to this album leaves you confused. Very confused. First of all you may be wondering what decade you are in after a mixture of 1970s glam rock and power chords. Then you have the pain in your ears from the high-pitched vocal talents of singer Justin Hawkins plus very loud guitar riffs. Finally you wake up after ten tracks of full on rock n? roll speechless, and wondering what the .

The album is set to be number one this week, after charting in the top ten some weeks ago and steadily refusing to go. They have a single coming out soon, after their first crashed into the top 20 it is set for more success. They could walk off with 20 grand for the mercury prize, and played to nearly half a million people in support of Robbie Williams at Knebworth recently. It is safe to say that The Darkness have gone mainstream, and good luck to them for that. They may not be universally loved, for starters there is something wrong to have that higher voice when singing. Some people don?t want to head music stuck in the 70s, or want a glam revival. Others dismiss them as a joke. No one can quite tell if they are serious.

1. Black Shuck
A heavy opening guitar riff straight away takes you away and starts the album, reminding you of many great bands AC/DC or Def Leppard. Makes slight fun of black satanic belief, the Black Shuck is a wild dog that terrorises people and religious artefacts. You are left wondering if they are serious or just taking the piss, but when the song leaves you with a comic ?woof? from the lead singer Justin Hawkins you are left in no doubt they are just having fun. Keep believing in it, it is all a good laugh, but you cannot really be serious. Can they?

2. Get Your Hands Off My Woman
The second track makes use of the parental advisory sticker with the chorus being the words of the title followed by mother f****r. It is still done in a nice way, the lyrics are just off the wall enough to make you re
ad through them in the inlay as there is very little chance you are going to make out the words above the high pitched shriek at times. Like the first track full of fast guitar riffs and a fast paced chorus, makes it catchy, though you will never get high enough to start singing along.

3. Growing on Me
Possibly the first song people will have heard from the band, as it was the single that introduced them to the masses. It is the first song on the album suitable to be released, it still has the powerful guitars and drumming, but less of the swearing or painful vocals. Still throwing in the odd wail it is more of a sing-a-long song with proper singing and still has that memorable feel to it and the odd clever line to catch you out.

4. I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Similar to the track just before it, it is another polished work of guitar driven pop more suitable for listening to. The vocals are again turned down slightly, but on the chorus fly right back at you. There is a wonderful moment where Justin introduces a clever guitar solo by screaming ?guitar?, and again it just all makes sense and you realise this is one of the best albums around

5. Love in Only a Feeling
A much slower pace to anything done before, perhaps a bit frightening that they have decided to do three love songs in a row and this time missing out the power chords or drumbeats. It misses out slightly following on from four great tracks, and there may be something missing to make it great. Still a nicely constructed song, with a tasteful guitar solo and the vocal talents are again on display in a more controlled way that fit the song well.

6. Givin? Up
Picks up the tempo again. It is a very bouncy and happy song in terms of the sound of the music, but has a much darker means. It is a song about drugs and drug abuse (My mamma wants to know where I?m spending all my dough), so they start taking things a bit more seriously and could go over a few
peoples heads if they treat the whole album as a total joke. A good enough song in the same vein as much of the others on the album, but just off the quality a little of the earlier tracks.

7. Stuck in a Rut
The album often gets into trouble, mostly due to the vocals. You have to be prepared to take on such a high voice and some moods will not allow you to listen through, while some dismiss it totally. The chorus really pushes you close with the voice, but just about comes through. Like much of the other stuff the decent lyrics pull the song through, while there is more energy and power in the guitars to help along the way. The intro with the opening guitar riff is among the best on the album, very good.

8. Friday Night
After a few slightly poor tracks (but only slightly) the album gets a real kick-start with one of my favourite tracks here. It is another moment that forces you to decide if it is all a joke or just the best song you have heard in a long time. The lyrics are mind blowing, not that they are spectacular just so out of context. In a rock song reeling off their extra curricular activities may mean something, but perhaps not bridge club on Wednesday or Tuesday badminton. It?s good stuff, good humoured to listen through and a good song.

9. Love on the Rocks with no Ice
All through the album you are straining to hear the different influences and sounds that the music contains. There is too much to list, perhaps they cut too much between each and don?t settle it can put you off, but somehow the mix does throw up something good. This track is more of a classic rock love/pain track with heavy guitars at a slower speed and the vocals out in flow again on the chorus

10. Holding my Own
And the album ends, it does not explode as you might have expected from the band, but carries on going in the same old way. Slightly comes off worse as it cannot decide if it wants to be a ballad or not. Another fancy guitar solo
, plus fine all round job in the power ballad rounds off the album and you can listen through the vocals quite easily on this track.

In the end I have no idea if you are going to enjoy this album. It is done very well, with the humour done subtly and all very well but in the end it is all just a joke. I am happy to go along with it, all for fun. It is great music if you decide to go along as well, making a nice refreshing change from the normal mess.

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