The Darkness, Britain’s hard rock flag flying gang are back once again with a new, killer album. ‘Motorheart’ continues a post ‘Last of Our Kind’ run of high quality, fun song writing. From ‘Welcome Tae Glasgae’ to ‘So Long,’ it’s a perfect blend of what makes The Darkness so unique and excellent. Tasty, old school hard rock, but with a 21st century alternative twist. The band’s legacy is being further cemented with this pretty good album.
‘Welcome Tae Glasgae’ has a rich, tribal beat opening the album. Complete with bagpipes, falsetto and tongue in cheek lyrics. Then this bad ass riff drops out of nowhere. It’s The Darkness taking what’s theirs. Ultimate hard rock domination. The band is always it’s best when it’s focused. And taking itself a notch or two more seriously than ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love.’ The Darkness are immensely talented and they don’t hold back on letting the listener know on ‘Motorheart.’ The outro to the opening track is all you need to hear to believe it. ‘It’s Love, Jim’ follows in appropriate fashion. The driving, hard rock track is simply epic. And I usually hate using that word. Infused with a heavy dose of punk, this track is tailor made for what I call the ‘American Pie’ generation. The title tracks middle eastern tropes give a different feel. New drummer, Rufus Taylor (yes, Queen’s Roger Taylor’s son) just owns the double pedal. Killer drumming all around. The song really is a cosmic journey that audibly fits exactly what cover of the album conveys.
‘The Power and the Glory of Love’ is timeless, AC/DC type of rocker. There’s even moments that are identical to the song ‘High Voltage.’ ‘Jussy’s Girl’ is very reminiscent of the track ‘Open Fire’ from ‘Last of Our Kind.’ And that’s a compliment. The Darkness are excellent at riding the mid-tempo hard rock line with a pinch of old school Manchester in there. ‘Sticky Situations’ may sound like funky, dirty track. But in fact, it is an excellent ballad. Again, timeless and classic. While it’s counterpart ‘Nobody Can See Me Cry,’ sounds like a ballad. But is in fact a punk infused, hard rocking rollup. With one hell of a progressively intense instrumental. The guitar playing is simply inspirational. ‘Eastbound’ is kind of a British equivalent to an American ‘Westbound’ rock song. There’s plenty of twang present. Giving it almost a country vibe. That barrier seems to be crossed more and more in both genres as time goes on. The band gets it’s 80’s goth on with ‘Speed of the Nighttime.’ A perfect Cult impression. A band that The Darkness clearly are majorly influenced by. It’s a banger of a track. Intricate, interesting and it crosses three or four sub genres in rock incredibly seamlessly.
Now, if you have the standard issue of ‘Motorheart,’ it ends there. However, there are three more songs on the extended version. Which I would highly recommend getting over the standard. ‘You Don’t Have to Be Crazy About Me…But it Helps’ might be strongest song on the album. Solid, pocket beat with a sick nasty blues based guitar riff that would make Joe Perry and Steven Tyler exclaim, ‘Damn, that’s funky!’ ‘It’s a Love Thang (You Wouldn’t Understand)’ is cute, upbeat ballad. Before the album finally closes with the tender ‘So Long.’
All in all, ‘Motorheart’ is a prime example of what The Darkness do best. Classic, timeless hard rock with catchy, sing along vocal melodies. They’ve been doing it since their debut ‘Permission to Land.’ Flying the rock flag for an entirely new generation. And ‘Motorheart’ is a welcome addition to the catalog. And audible proof that The Darkness need to keep on keeping on. Keep flying that flag guys. What you’re doing is more important than you know.
