Dark Romantics reviewed
The Dark Romantics
Some Midnight Kissin’
(Lujo)
It’s tough to be a stylish rock band and maintain any sort of interesting edge, a problem confronting Some Midnight Kissin’.
What makes The Dark Romantics so suspect is the fact they’re so likable. Eric Collins’ voice hides a little Richard Ashcroft-cool behind his Thom Yorke whine, while he and the band pluck what they like from a bevy of modern rock heroes (Interpol, Coldplay, The Killers, but mainly mid-’80s British pop rock). The attractive quintet also has a wholesome feel to it, as Collins and Dean Paul are joined by their wives, who happen to be sisters. And they sound good. But it will take more than some slices of church organ on “Another Song For Another Night” to distinguish them. “This Is The Sound” comes loaded with some gutter stains and is really the only album track with much personality. Without ever coming on like a cynical rip-off, Some Midnight Kissin’ saunters out of the speakers with a non-ironic sense of vacancy. “So Confused” and “Where Do We Go From Here?” are serious pop songs, but it’s hard to find the good in them as far as from where they come or, more importantly, where they’re going. If they’re just supposed to be pop songs — digested and then forgotten — consider this a job well done. But something tells me The Dark Romantics are in it for more than that.
— Kevin Keegan
Click here to download “Another Song For Another Night.”
