Danko Jones

Never Too Loud

Written by: PP on 15/07/2008 17:41:49

By now you should have heard the name Danko Jones somewhere. The Canadian guys are on their sixth album already, and in the process have received nominations for \"best rock album\", \"best alternative album\" and so on in their native country. In Europe, they\'ve received a decent amount of praise by various mainstream magazines but have never really snowballed, perhaps because the listeners are so evenly divided over those that absolutely love the band and those that can\'t stand their testosterone-filled southern rock sound. \"Never Too Loud\", the sixth album, further fuels the fire in the debate, especially because it contains both awesome and insanely annoying songs in the same package.

Trying to lump Danko Jones in one genre isn\'t exactly the easiest of challenges. On one song they\'ll go alt-country, all cowboy like on you, which is when they are at their most annoying (see \"Still In High School\" for a brilliant example), and on the next they\'ll be as alternative rock as Foo Fighters were on songs like \"Learn To Fly\". The next moment they\'re pop like Barenaked Ladies or The Tragically Hip (\"Take Me Home\"), before launching into full-on groovy rock and roll on \"Let\'s Get Undressed\", slightly reminiscent of The White Stripes. Even bands like Finger Eleven and Chevelle are referenced on \"Forest For The Trees\", though Danko still maitnains their all-so Jonesy sound all the way through.

It\'s this ability of referencing countless genres - especially those that sound like they wouldn\'t fit in at all - that has won them over so many fans. And I have to admit, I\'m rather impressed how many different genres they are able to combine without losing focus on the album, thanks to great songwriting and a consistent guitar sound that ties it all back to the Danko Jones sound. But for some, the muscular \"i don\'t give a fuck\" voice Danko is understandably a little too much, as he tramples on your face in the best Rebel Meets Rebel manner. Even after listening to the album for as many months as I have, I still remain slightly ambivalent to the CD, one one moment it sounds awesome, and the next moment it can make me want to pull my hair off and bang my head against a wall. But one thing\'s for sure, Danko Jones are the ones that are laughing regardless of which camp you belong to.

7

Download: Code Of The Road, Take Me Home, Let\'s Get Undressed
For the fans of: Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, Rebel Meets Rebel
Listen: Myspace

Release date 19.02.2008
Aquarius/Bad Taste Records

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