One of my first purchases was The Darkness new record, Last Of Our Kind. Today I'm gonna run you through what I thought of it. Bear in mind I am incredibly biased, they're one of my favorite bands!
Firstly, can we take a moment to appreciate the cover art? It's a baby driving a spaceship!!! I just think that's so quirky and cool, though I don't expect anything less than quirky from the band whose first record had a naked air traffic controller on it!! I love it, their whole aesthetic is tongue in cheek, has an air of humor. The Darkness are a band that know how to have fun! Trust me, I've been to a show, they are insane in the best way!The content of this record is the Viking invasion of East Anglia, referencing Ragnar, archery, Edmund The Martyr, and so on. Probably not for everyone, but I love that kind of thing. The first single to be released from this is the first track, Barbarian, and it's basically a musical history lesson gussied up a bit, and put to epic riffs. I reckon this would be a great song to blare and belt in the car with all the windows down!
The whole album is just perfect. I know there has been much criticism about Hot Cakes, their last release, but I thought that was a great album... Up there with Permission to Land, for sure! This though, it's completely and utterly brilliant. I find myself flipping the record over and over, listening to it twice or three times through, every time it's on my player. Of the 4 albums The Darkness has released, I would rank this as my favorite so far.
My favorite track on this record is the title track, Last Of Our Kind. Maybe I have an affinity for the archery imagery, maybe it's the insanely catchy opening and beltable chorus - who knows?! I'm toying with getting a line from this song tattooed, actually. It's that good!
Honestly, I've nothing bad to say about this album, nothing at all. It's incredible. The vinyl itself is green, the slip case is decorated with the lyrics and doodles and the cover is incredibly fun. The record itself harks back to the older, more flamboyant early days - all in all, a truly brilliant offering, and possibly my favorite record in my collection so far!
I'm giving this record 5 stars *****
Have you any recommendations?
If you have, let me know!
If you want me to do a record collection, just shout!
Keep your eye out for my next review!
Loooooooove you!
Amy
xx