tue 26/11/2024

CD: The Darkness - Last of Our Kind | reviews, news & interviews

CD: The Darkness - Last of Our Kind

CD: The Darkness - Last of Our Kind

The Hawkins brothers get heavy, lose their charm

The Darkness: ain't no double entendre

The Darkness, despite their current sober lifestyle, claim to be back with music that makes “women weak at the knees and men shit their pants”. If only. The lorry loads of booze and cocaine may be a thing of the past, but also, it seems, is their muse. Somewhere along the way, the boys have forgotten what people love about them.

And for all the industrial riffs and squealing vocals, Last of Our Kind doesn’t actually offer much in the way of fun.

Ironically, trying to sound less like a parody, has, if anything, made the band even more cartoonish. Before the heavy-grinding “Mudslide”, for instance, a Mr T-soundalike announces “This ain’t no double entendre”. That may be true but it's not half as enjoyable as their usual, smutty, innuendo-laden fare.

The most risqué song here is “Hammer and Tongs”; and, fittingly it's also probably the best. Many of the others just sound a bit like Saxon. Still “Sarah O Sarah” is light and bouncy, with plenty of guitar harmonies. It reminds you how effortlessly the Hawkins brothers used to be able to toss off a catchy tune; and what excellent guitar players they are. So how did they come to be involved in making such a turgid album?

Maybe no-one can tell them what does and doesn't work any more? A recent press release explaining the departure of drummer Emily Dolan Davies hints that working with the band can be a tricky business. The text explaining their "fond farewells" appeared under a photo of Justin Hawkins stripped to the waist sporting an Edwardian moustache whilst carrying a tawny owl. Once upon a time that would have seemed amusingly eccentric. Now it just seems a little maniacal.

Overleaf: watch the video for the latest single, "Barbarian"

Ironically, trying to sound less like a parody has, if anything, made the band even more cartoonish

rating

Editor Rating: 
2
Average: 2 (1 vote)

Explore topics

Share this article

Comments

I strongly disagree with this review and do not think the reviewer knows anything about this band and possibly music in general.

I would strongly question whether the reviewer actually listened to the album for more than thirty seconds before writing this "review" and would also question his knowledge of music in general. Last Of Our Kind is a rarity in this day and age....a creative masterpiece where the sum is greater than the parts. This is a complete body of work where the bands meshes a variety of styles and sounds into a complete work of art. The guitar work is simply tremendous throughout.....the songwriting clever, catchy, and memorable. Great job guys.

The more I listen to it, the more I'm liking this album which more than I can say for this lame article!!

Loving the album

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters