Spread over 10 tracks, singer Justin Hawkins takes falsetto yodelling to a new level getting to grips with love, lust, school boy obsessions and breaking up. Musically, it’s big-fuck-off-stadium-cock-rawk, with big guitars and even bigger hair -you begin to understand how support slots with Def Leppard and Deep Purple came about for a band still in their infancy. While it may be argued that The Darkness tread a fine line between the credible and faintly ridiculous, the lyrical ability of Hawkins ensures that they manage to strike a balance. All three previous singles are included, along with gems such as the touchingly vulnerable ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’ and ‘Love On The Rocks With No Ice’ (all right so the titles begin to slip into the self-indulgent) to the comic ‘Friday Night’ (“God the way she moves me to write bad poetry”).
The only criticism that could be levelled at it is that a large part of The Darkness' appeal is in their live shows and so with the album, you only feel like you’re getting 50% of the experience. While some bands manage to translate their live ability onto record, it’s a hard task to do and while it’s a cracking listen, it’d be better if it came with its own lycra cat suit.
