Album Review: The Darkness - Hot Cakes

Few records spoke to an East Anglian teenager as much as Permission to Land did to me in 2003. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But the tales of escape, school lust and general high-fun nonsense really resonated. And when a band creates a recording that really gets to you so deeply there’ll always be something in the rest of theirs that you’ll love and come back to.

One can only assume that is how The Rolling Stones continue to sell albums in the 21^st Century.

You grasp what you can and hear what isn’t there in records. You so desperately want them to be what the group meant to you on THAT album.

You could call it King of Limbs syndrome.

Hot Cakes is not like that. It’s not flawless either, and it’s not Permission to Land. But that’s no reason to shun it. Neil Armstrong would have been a dick to sneer at every holiday post-‘69, wouldn’t he?

Unlike the overblown, and only partially successful, One Way Ticket… The Darkness have recaptured the magic and chemistry of their debut on Hot Cakes. Be it in the glam rock ram-raid of lead single ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us’, scissor-kicking ‘Concrete’, daft-brilliant opener ‘Every Inch of You’ [see above], or Radiohead cover ‘Street Spirit’ this is a band powering themselves back into relevance with more cylinders than detractors would ever believe they had.

At 11 tracks it’s one longer than each of the previous Darkness records. You could put that down to ‘Street Spirit’, but it’s actually single ‘Everybody Have A Good Time’ that could be easiest cut without being missed. From the Andrew WK school of party lyrics, even the duffest on Hot Cakes gives us the line “Where fools rush in / Where eagles dare / You will find us already there”. So it’s not a total misfire.

The highlights then; well other than what’s been mentioned there is the terrific ‘Forbidden Love’ (“Oh, you shouldn’t have forbade it” goes the chorus) which is Muse done far better than Muse have been doing it since Black Holes. Or else there’s ‘She Just A Girl Eddie’; written for drummer Ed it’d work brilliant on a mixtape next to ‘Emily Kane’ and you could almost think of it as a response*. Whilst we’re at it, let’s mention that Radiohead cover once more, not only is it better than the flat, dreary original it sounds the most like PtL Darkness – likely due to it first being performed by them around that time.

Sure, you could listen to *cliche smash* beardy Americans getting introspective in a cabin with a synthesiser *end cliché smash* but some of us want more. And that is what The Darkness have always and continue to provide. Like in 2003 this really sounds like nothing else around at the moment. It’s bright bold and bloody brilliant.

So do as the man says, and have a good time damnit.

Keep Pop Loud

*But it really, really isn’t. It sounds very little like Art Brut.

The Darkness - Everybody Have A Good Time

Another single from everyone’s (well, mine at least) favourite cock-rock band*. No commentary needed really. Glam guitars, falsetto vocals, a bloody good time had by all. Obviously.

Skip to 1:08 for the start of the song. And a bear-gram doing a striptease.

Hot Cakes is released in August.

*if this is ruining the credibility of Keep Pop Loud, just let us know at the usual address.

Runaround Kids Vs We Are Losers

Following on from their incredibly well received single ‘You’d Feel The Same’, Runaround Kids have teamed up with Dublin / Kildare band We are Losers for a split 12” EP on Philobhobia Music.

Happily Runaround Kids three tracks are more of exactly what you’d expect from the band. Fast, noisy guitar pop. Classic in the sense that this could have appeared at any point since the late 80’s and been welcomed with open arms. Reference points from Hüsker Dü to The Cribs stand, but Runaround Kids just sound like themselves.

‘Lesser Loved’ (not available to stream just yet) is the personal highlight from RK’s side, but that’s not to say anything whatsoever against either ‘Drinking History’ or We Are Lovers cover ‘The Narcissist’.

Whilst We Are Lovers do share a scruffy guitar pop aesthetic with Runaround Kids their end sound is quite different. More jangly and with occasional vocal harmonies, they’re closer to the meatier side of the C86 scene than anything else. The above track ‘Talk’ is a good example of this.

WAL close the EP with a cover of Runaround Kids best-known number ‘Can’t Lose Lover’. Although just an acoustic run-through (with whistling) it’s a good final number as the original already feels like an underground pop classic.

The 12” is out on 9 July on Philophobia.

The Darkness - Every Inch of You

Life sucks sometimes. Well, a lot of the time if you’re heavily unemployed (I’ve mentioned that before, right?) but there are a few events that ALWAYS make things better.

The Darkness releasing a new song is one such event.

From their forthcoming third album Hot Cakes, ‘Every Inch Of You’ is classic Darkness with lighthearted lyrics about rock and roll and a killer guitar solo.

Yes, it’s fluff, but it’s the best kind of fluff. It’s the music that completes and/or saves yr life because it’s so fun, so escapist, so out of step with everything else and just so… brilliant.

Hot Cakes is out just in time for my Birthday and includes a studio version of their Radiohead cover (‘Street Spirit’), which I can’t wait for. The deluxe version (according to Wikipedia) includes even more tracks including live fave ‘Cannonball’. Excellent

Doctrines - Climbing Yggdras (Everybody Loves Ray Kay)

This Manchester four-piece were unveiled as the latest signings to Alcopop! Records today, and it’s easily the label’s.

With the yelped vocals and jagged guitars, Doctrines also lay claim to being Alcopop!’s heaviest act. Jack Pop has described them as “like an unholy union between At the Drive in and Titus Andronicus” whilst comparing them to Japandroids too. So if any of those tick yr boxes you’re in for a treat.

Doctrines debut EP O This Body Of Mine, I Renounce You Your Style Is A Crime is available as a free download from their bandcamp, whilst new release ZE is forthcoming.