By Monk
It seems somewhat ironic that I should have been sitting down to give a first listen to an album called ‘Darkwood’ on the day on which it is announced that the Northern Ireland government plans to tear down part of one the most iconic dark woods on the planet… but, here we are, with a more than appealing trip into the archives of pure British blues ‘n’ roll courtesy of a band helping to lighten my mood and tear up the ÜRHQ speaker system…
In these days of extreme cutbacks, The Blue Lena are all about expansion, as they feature a total of seven members, who each combine to give the band a suitably expansive sound, combined with an old-school approach which sees every member contribute to the overall sonic experience rather than relying on studio trickery to fill out the layers.
They open with an invitation to join them for a bevy or three at the ‘Last Chance Saloon’ and we don’t need to be asked twice to take part in this slice of rambunctious, glass-breaking slice of bar-room boogie, which sets the tone for the rich sonic dynamic which the rest of the album delivers. And then they throw in something like the pure pop rock of ‘Only When She’s Dancing’, which has to be the most A-list radio-friendly song I’ve heard this year and would be guaranteed to get every dance floor in the Überverse bopping and jiving (at least until the spides realized it’s actually a badass rock song).
‘Darkwood’ fits very much into the NWoCR dynamic and framework which has dominated the ÜK rock scene for the past decade or so, combining Seventies-fulled blues/sleaze miens and tropes with a refreshed re-invigoration and renewed passion for genuinely great songsmithery and heartfelt delivery.
Along the way, The Blue Lena evoke the spirit of Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac as much as they do that of Thunder, Deep Purple and even the deep southern grooves of the Allman boys, as well as the audio hypnotism of The Killers, with elements of Black Crowes-style hard country for good measure. And that measure definitely is a good one, as TBL have delivered a highly accomplished and thoughtful album which ticks plenty of boxes while at the same possessing tonnes of massively memorable choruses, hooks and riffs that not only worm their way into your eardrums but will stay there for quite some time to come.
- ‘Darkwood‘ is out now.
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