Smoke And Mirrors Review

Release Date: Oct 9, 2006
Label: V2
Genres: Rock
Number Of Tracks: 10
At just 10 tracks, barely over the 35 minute marker, the record never outstays its welcome and highlights come by the bucketload.

Sound:	8.5
Lyrics:	7.5
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.3
Users rating:	8.9
Comments:	7

overall: 9

Featured review by: DStobbs, on november 16, 2006

Sound: Following the hype and excitement which followed The Datsuns upon arrival into the media eye in 2002 as part of the proposed garage-rock revolution, the come-down to cult level over recent years has only made The Datsuns fight harder. This, the quartets third record, is probably their best yet, combining the raw, ZZ Top inspired rock of their self-titled debut with the more progressive, bigger riffs and bigger chorus sections of the follow up (2004's "Outta Sight/Outta Mind"). Though what elevates this record above the previous is the variation added to the tracks with the presence of new elements like slide guitar and synth instrumentation. Yet the frantic vocal melodys and wild guitar solos never fade enough to say goodbye to the older ways.

At just 10 tracks, barely over the 35 minute marker, the record never outstays its welcome and highlights come by the bucketload. Opener "Who Are You Stamping Your Foot For?" kicks things off with a gradually building, riff-heavey ride that tumbles nicely into an awe-inspriring chorus, as catchy and as urgent as ever. It's the closest thing on the record to the sound of the debut, and the guitar solos once again prove the underated reputation of guitar duo Phil and Christian. Elsewhere, the band turn to much other variance throughout, whether it be the atmospheric, slide guitar driven Zepp vibe of "Stuck Here For Days", gospel-heavey singalong prog rock of "All Aboard" or the psychedelia vibe of closer "Too Little Fire". And, of course, the riff-tastic tunes - the old school, somewhat western inspired "Maximum Hearbreak" and heavey-heavey "Emperor's New Clothes," reminding us of The Datsuns ablity to create some of the best riffs this generation.

Having self-produced this record, opinion has been divided as to whether it's the correct level to encapture a raw sound or because of the DIY approach it's let down. I think those who have heard the debut with believe it's the former as a pose to the later, still, the sound is captured well enough. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: As with the majority of tracks in The Datsuns back-catalouge, expect emphasis on the melody job more than the lyric job. And that tilt does not alter in this case. Whilst I suspect there is meaning to what Dolf is saying it's tricky to releate to, but when the melodys and tune are as consistantly infectious as they are, it dosnt really matter so bad. // 7

Impression: In the sea of indie and emo that dominates most musical agendas at the present time, it's great to be reminded of some ground lost in the middle over recent years, the rock side of things. If you love your riffs and your catchy melodies delivered with a true urgency, old schooler and new schoolers take note, this be a worthy addition to the set. // 10

overall: 7.7

Reviewed by: renegadeo6o6, on february 06, 2007

Sound: Rock and Roll doesn’t come easily to most bands but The Datsuns first album assured us all that rock and roll wasn’t dead, nor was it difficult for the four-piece from Cambridge, New Zealand. Their self-titled debut was full of blistering fretwork and bluesy riffs played at a million miles per hour and it saw the longhairs get a European tour and a number of rave reviews from Indie Bible, the NME. The NME also labelled the Datsuns “the best live act in the world” in 2004 and although their electricity live hasn’t changed at all since that date, their recorded sound has shifted dramatically. Second album ‘Outta Sight/Outta Mind” saw the British magazines’ opinion change seismically but the bands mindset didn’t falter and they continued touring frantically around the world. On ‘Outta Sight/Outta Mind, it was a dose of ‘second album blues’ as John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin was at the helm, producing and recording. As a result, the overall sound changed from balls-out rock ‘n’ roll to a more slowed down version of hard rock that saw videos for ‘Girls Best Friend’ and ‘Blacken My Thumb’ played on British music television and some crucial exposure in the hard-to-crack American market. If the second album was slower then the boys must’ve had a really relaxing holiday this time round as new album ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ shows off gospel choirs, unhealthy amounts of slide guitar, wah solo’s and clichéd rock ‘n’ roll lyrics. The boys made the wise decision of producing the album themselves this time, or was it really that wise. // 7

Lyrics and Singing: From the opening seconds of the first track ‘Who Are You Stamping Your Foot For? ’ it is easy to see this is no ‘Sitin’ Pretty’. With full chords and intelligent drumbeats it certainly makes a mark but the result is very unexpected. The new single ‘System Overload’ sounds more like the Datsuns of old but with more of progression in sound. The solo by Christian is definitely worth checking out and it's sees him at his startling best. The video is also impressive, featuring the band play on the rooftop of an animated building being attacked by giant 1950’s style wind-up robots until a squadron of biplanes show up and the Datsuns are saved form an almost certain doom.The next track is the one of the more songs surprising on the album. ‘Waiting For Your Time To Come’ sees a quiet acoustic guitar riff opening, which progresses into one of the most meaningful lyrics ever sung (or screamed) by bassist/vocalist Dolf: “You try to rewrite history/Every little mystery.” This is the Datsuns trying to improve (or rip-off) Led Zep’s ‘Dazed And Confused’ and to be completely honest with you, they just manage to pull it off.

The acoustic aspect continues through to ‘Stuck Here For Days’ that starts off timid and turns quickly into a full-on rock ‘n’ roll stomp that sees Dolf and his trademark impassioned screams and shouts of “Oh Yeah!” This is easily the standout track on the album and also the ‘Stuck Here For Days’ EP released earlier in the year. The video for the single is a fantastic montage of the band on tour that travels with the song in to clips of the band at their brutal best: playing live. Finally, finally! A swift, tricky lead guitar intro leads into ‘Maximum Heartbreak’. This is what die-hard fans will buy this album for and it also allows new fans to access the old Datsuns sound without blowing their speakers up, and this is the problem. The song itself is perfectly fine but the production lacks the ‘oomph’ of the first album and even the second, this just sounds like a bad Datsuns cover-band, “oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh! ” ‘s and all. Shocking is the only way to describe the next song. ‘All Aboard’ kicks off with gospel singers…yes, you heard right. The next couple of bars channel some kind of '80s pop/rock not to similar to Bon Jovi. The verse sounds like Spiderbaits’ ‘Black Betty’ with an insane combination of the two sounds together to make the chorus. This is a huge let down. Admittedly it does have a certain groove but it is nothing original and the boys could do so much better.

‘Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!’ Is it me or does ‘Such a Pretty Curse’ sound like Deja Voodoo’s ‘Shotgun’? This is bound to be the next single and it mixes the intensity of the MC5’s ‘Kick Out the Jams’ and the backing vocals that is a trademark of garage/punk masters, the Hives. Disappointment. This is the only word to describe these past songs and ‘Blood Red’ does not help it's cause. The lyrics are so ridiculous it surely would not even find a place in their older material. I mean, AC/DC, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Black Sabbath had some pretty lame lyrics(they were more rockin’ though) but this doesn’t even come close: “Take me down to the market/Yeah take me down. Let's paint the town blood red/It’s a scarlet delight.” Ha-ha! Finally some Rock and Roll! Starting off not to similar to ‘Blacken My Thumb, ‘Emperors New Clothes’ is electric (in energy and in guitars) and it doesn’t stop for the next two and a half minutes. A wah solo makes a very welcome return in the middle. Nothing special but it is a relief. ‘Too Little Fire’…I’ll tell you what, this song has too little fire. This is one hell of a ‘Stairway to Heaven’, apart from the fact it lacks the development of the hard rock classic…well, I doesn’t develop at all for the next eight minutes! Your favourite gospel singers make a return from ‘All Aboard’ and the ‘inventive’ wah solo’s come with them. // 8

Impression: Why guys? What happened? I’ve always had a qualm with the Datsuns sound, is that you can never hear Dolf’s bass and it’s the same on ‘Smoke And Mirrors’. Maybe it’s just the fellas were in a destructive mood because Phil’s guitar can’t be on most of the songs either. This has certainly shaken my trust in the Datsuns but for all the people who agree with this review: we’ve still got the first album to listen to. Now, have you noticed that some of the songs have been compared to various artists? This is because they haven’t created anything new. It’s like they rediscovered their older brothers record collection from ’79, then listened to any modern band that have compared to a album in that record collection. // 8

Comments

[MiniMusicMasta]

My brothers drum teacher's band supported these guys when they played in Peterborough.

[cagnius]

Good review, although perhaps a little over-enthusiastic.

The first album, in my opinions, was way better.

[Pearl-Jam]

datsuns rock go NZ music

[mike_anderson25]

yea the datsuns r me fav kiwi band, who u stampin ur foot 4 best song on da album, keep rockin evry1

[renegadeo6o6]

Dude!!!!!This album is such a let down!!! Plus my review of the album is gonna be posted up soon so do read and comment, Apart from your overall enthusiasticness i think you got skill as a writer

[renegadeo6o6]

....and there it is....

[DStobbs]

Hey mate, thanks for the comment! I dont why I didnt sign in when I put it up. Quality review yourself by the way - totally hit the nail on the head about NME, shame they dont get the coverage they deserve (the band, that is).