Dreams on Toast
The Darkness
The Darkness are still very good at being ridiculous. The important part is that they can also write songs. Dreams on Toast has enough strong melodies and guitar playing to make the jokes worth staying for, even when a few of them take longer than necessary to finish.
Rock and Roll Party Cowboy gives you a fairly accurate idea of the mood. The riff is big, the attitude is larger, and Justin Hawkins clearly knows how silly the whole thing is. The band play it with complete commitment. That's the difference between an entertaining rock song and somebody simply pointing at the clichés.
I Hate Myself moves more quickly and puts a sharp, self-critical idea inside an energetic chorus. It is one of the better songs here, partly because there is something behind the performance. Hawkins can make a line funny without losing the feeling underneath it. His voice remains a remarkable instrument, even when it sounds as though it is enjoying itself far too much.
The Longest Kiss is another highlight. The bright piano and layered melody give it a proper pop bounce, while the guitars keep it connected to the rest of the album. Don't Need Sunshine takes a steadier route and gives the chorus room to grow. There is more variety here than the opening song might lead you to expect.
Not all of the detours are equally convincing. The country flavour of Hot on My Tail is a change of scenery, but the novelty wears off a little before the song does. The album occasionally needs an editor with permission to tell everybody to stop enjoying themselves for a moment.
Walking Through Fire gets the balance right again. It is direct, catchy and full of the sort of guitar detail that makes this band worth hearing beyond the humour. It also gives the record a strong late highlight.
Dreams on Toast is uneven in places, but never short of character. The best songs are very good, and the performances make even the weaker ideas fairly easy company. There is room for this much nonsense when the musicians can back it up.
