Darker My Love - Alive As You Are Album Review

Set for release on August 17, 'Alive As You Are' is the third record from Los Angeles based quintet Darker My Love and the follow up to 2008's '2'. Incorporating former members of The Nerve Agents and The Distillers, they've featured in the Guitar Hero series of games and are imminently to tour North America.

Staring in bright and breezy fashion, 'Backseat' is a decent number built on a simple riff, but pales in comparison to the hypnotic psychedelic pop of 'Split Minute'. The promising start is shattered by the messy '18th Street Shuffle' and from here on the majority is disappointing to say the least. 'New America' leans in the direction of country, but bores, while 'Rain Party' is a sleepy crawl. The middle section lacks inspiration and hooks, with 'Trail The Line' and 'June Bloom' offering nothing of note, but thankfully the tail end of the record sees the band lifting the standard. Seemingly from nowhere a sturdy guitar piece powers through 'Dear Author', while 'A Lovely Game' chimes along infectiously. In the scheme of things they are rewarding delights, but it's not enough to lift the album to prominence.

Alex Lai