DARKNESS, "Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us"

[(Artie Ziff)]

Goes to radio next week from Billboard.biz, but Sirius promised a debut today. Not sure if this band is still for real, or just a parody.

EDIT : MODIFIED SONG TITLE

[Rich P.]

Not necessarily rebutable, but nextmosh.com posted this regarding Darkness tour date at Irvin Plaza in New York City next month; looks like this band is for real...

Recently reactivated British glam rockers The Darkness have announced an early 2012 North American headlining tour.

The 13-city journey will cruise by New York City on February 4th at Irving Plaza. Ticket info TBA.

In related news, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins recently spoke to Rolling Stone about the band’s reunion, the new album and their upcoming tour.

[singingsparrow]

I'm really liking this, even though I don't think it's hooky enough to break them through to a broad audience again. Probably because Hawkins' vocal gymnastics are not as pronounced here, in spite of the tight and intoxicating musicianship.

I will add one thing, and that is this sounds, to my ears anyway, more closer to the core sound of Justin Hawkins' now-inactive side project, Hot Leg, than that of The Darkness. It's not to say it differentiates all that much from The Darkness, as both bands heavily retain an 80's hair-metal sheen influence, but I found myself reminiscing more along the lines of "Cocktails" than "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" as I was listening (Stone Gods sounded more distinctive from The Darkness, with less harmonics intact and more straight-up edge).

I don't know if this is the official video or not, but it stands up well on its own. It can be argued they need something more over-the-top in terms of visuals to get them back in the public consciousness, but the fact so much music that passes on presently as "rock" sounds completely diluted of energy.........I feel their musicianship alone already makes the point.

Namaste,
lisping HIBISCUS

[Pipa]

"I Believe In A Thing Called Love" is one of the worst songs of all time, but I enjoyed "One Way Ticket". We'll see how this fares.

[Devin]

I love "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" just for the simple fact that it's fun to sing along to.

[singingsparrow]

Feb 2, 2012 19:12:11 GMT -5 Devin said:

I love "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" just for the simple fact that it's fun to sing along to.

Not to mention one of the best in all recent memory to learn to cover on guitar, with the multiple solos and fierce licks.

I love that so much it's impossible to even consider it a guilty pleasure. That song alone convinced me they were the real deal and not just a 21st Century Spinal Tap.

Namaste,
lisping HIBISCUS

[Phanarchist]

These guys again? I hope this gets 0 spins total.

[Active Aggressive]

Had the pleasure of meeting them and having them sign their debut CD for me. Very nice and friendly gents. Wish I saw them when they played in Boston but my friend did and said they were great. Then, I heard they were breaking up after the second album. Glad they are back!

[singingsparrow]

Feb 3, 2012 2:35:51 GMT -5 Phanarchist said:

These guys again? I hope this gets 0 spins total.

I can understand with why some may find their music annoying in how hilariously over-the-top their antics can get, to the point where it seems all show but no substance. I personally don't subscribe to that view, but I can nonetheless see why others may do so.

However, I just find it impossible not to admire something like "I Believe In A Thing Called Love". The passion and dedication to each of the track's parts is most compelling to my ears. It's like an amusement park thrill ride put to tape, and the exhilaration doesn't wear off after the first time you listen to it. It's a rarity to achieve in rock and roll, especially these days, and demands respect in my view.

Their subsequent efforts thus far have failed to offer something that stands up to that individual, one-of-a-kind hit of theirs, but I still have to hand it to The Darkness for fueling such intoxicating passion into their music and performances. It's barely ever a dull moment with them, which says a lot given how tired and colorless a lot of what gets passed on as "rock" today is.

Namaste,
lisping HIBISCUS