The Darkness
One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back
By Joanne (SugarBuzz Australia)
SugarBuzz Magazine
When a band goes into the studio to record their second album, there are always questions going to be asked. How will it sound? Will it out do the first album? Will it suffer the sophomore jinx? This is always a pressure filled difficult task for any band.
Although The Darkness has not out done their first album, with a complete new sound The Darkness has done a reasonable job. Justin Hawkins has an unusual voice and your either going to like it off the bat or not, there is nowhere in between to go. An acquired taste, it is not.
The new album simply titled, One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back, has got to be one of my least favorite albums that I have bought so far this year, but that doesn’t mean its been a complete waste of time. I have enjoyed most parts of this album just not the whole thing.
With help from producer Roy Thomas Barker this album has taken a twist. Instead of poking fun of bands from the 80s glam days, it seems that The Darkness has almost over night turned into one those bands. It is a very silly album to say the least and I don’t think half the songs make any sense. But I guess that is why I like. It is unlike anything I have heard from any band before.
So kiddies, sit back, grab a beer and enjoy this review.
The first song of this album is probably for me the most outstanding. “One Way Ticket to Hell” is mind blowing fabulous and one of my favorite songs of later 2005/early 2006. This one will make you get up and head bang to your hearts content. With Justin’s unique vocals and the bands amazingly well played instruments you can not go wrong. This one has been circulating for quiet a while on the charts and doesn’t seem to want to let up. It is a very catchy, fun tune and it is always a great party starter or even better on a long trip. It will just about put you in the mood for anything, and I mean anything.
The next two songs “Knockers” and “Is It Just Me” are pure 80s sleaze rock n roll. If the guys were trying to revamp the 80s in any way, then they have just about done it with these two killer tracks. A lot of high pitched voices happening here but still a great listen. Out of the two of the above songs my favorite would be “Is It Just Me”. A lot of synthesizers and awesome guitar work. I love the lyrics to this one.
The standard of the album drops over the next few songs entitled “Dinner Lady As” and “Seemed like a Good Idea at the Time”. More so with the later of the two, “Dinner Lady Arms” is tolerable to a point but “Seemed like a Good Idea at the Time”, makes you want to cringe at the thought of it.
The album soon changes tremendous pace again, with songs such as “Hazel”, “Bald”, “Girlfriend” and “English Garden”. “Girlfriend” is very upbeat, hip and happening song. It makes you want to move your body and shake your arse. Very silly song to say the least, but I guess that is what we have come to love about The Darkness.
The same could be said about “English Country Garden” though. I would love to be a fly on the wall when they work out the lyrics to half of there songs. It would be a laugh that’s for sure.
The final song of the album is “Blind Man” and very fitting that it is last cause it is probably the worst song of the whole album. It just doesn’t work for me at all. No matter how much I try to listen to it, it just doesn’t do it for me.
Well that is all my loves. I give this album a 6/10. It is worth a listen but I would not give it any awards for outstanding album of the year.
Joanne!
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