When I think of The Darkness, I tend to think of songs that immediately grab you then blast your mind into a state of shooting stars and euphoria when they hit their highly infectious choruses. They’re like Queen and Van Halen at their fiery prime. They just can’t be beaten. They refuse to and they’ll kick anyone’s ass. The blend of Justin Hawkins’ generally high-pitched vocals and lead guitars combined with his brother Dan Hawkins’ more than reliable rhythm guitars and the hard-driving beats of Rufus Tiger Taylor’s drums and Frankie Poullain’s slick bass licks is nothing shy of magical.
Another thing The Darkness never fails to deliver: witty and often humorous lyrics. They’re like rock and roll gone satirical. So, it should come as no surprise that their new single is called “Rock and Roll Deserves to Die.” It’s completely unexpected and yet exactly what you’d expect from them.
What’s different about this track is that it takes their usual formula and flips it upside down, switching gears several times throughout the song. The moving parts mesh together perfectly, but if you heard them each individually you’d never guess that they were all from the same song. Call it The Darkness gone prog rock. You might need to listen to it a few times before it grows on you, but, trust me, it will. I’ve only given it a half dozen spins at the time of this writing, but it’s already becoming one of my favorite tracks by the band. Suffice to say, I’m very much looking forward to their forthcoming album, Easter Is Cancelled. I just wish we didn’t have to wait until October 4th for the whole new album.
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