The Datsuns - Head Stunts (Cooking Vinyl)
2/5
By: Various Scribes
BUY MERCHYes, The Datsuns are back with a fourth injection (yes, fourth!) of 12 new 70's rock infused tracks. So it's time for a quick recap - very successful debut album in 2002 - follow up struggles - The Datsuns fall off the proverbial music radar screen - third album, although better, couldn't create enough musical tremors to rekindle earlier success... aaaand...
Right, history lesson over, we start afresh with a new drummer in tow and a self produced fourth album, Head Stunts. "With a new person we were able to feed off each other in different ways" Lead singer/bassist Dolf de Borst states. Great! New ideas? New direction?
The fourth coming single 'Human Error' kicks us off with the ripping sound of guitar before blasting in to howling vocals accompanied by the undercurrent of a catchy rawk riff. With the inclusion of an obligatory guitar solo this is a brash, in your face race of a track no doubt designed to announce their return. Later, 'Hey! Paranoid People! (What's In Your Head?)' utilises a 60's/70's style rock organ as an undulating melody through out, but sadly the chorus just doesn't deliver anything particularly mind boggling to add to it.
'Your Bones' however has more strength to it as the slamming drums followed by short plumage of guitar licks commands your attention straight away. Lyrically there isn't much to any of it, but the chorus has enough of a hook to nestle happily in your head for a while.
And then you start to realise... well, of course, they haven't moved on an awful lot at all. They're still reading straight from the 70's rock blue print of main riff, chorus, guitar solo and finale. And in the few attempts to shuffle away from this there is a feeling that the songs are just lacking the edge and uniqueness that would really separate them out.
'Ready Set Go!' has a slowed down indie rock feel to it with slurred vocals over acoustic guitar strumming with electric guitar chimes every fourth beat. 'Eye of the Needle' is a slow building track starting off with a closed guitar gradually opening up and thumping drums easing their way through, which has an element of Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' but without the bite. 'Cruel Cruel Fate' is a chirpy addition lamenting mistakes made using a keyboard organ, it has a fairly well structured catchy chorus, but again there is nothing particularly new and inspiring about it.
Finally, there's an attempt at resurrecting some psychedelic rock in 'Somebody Better', with its tinny synth-vocals, and a delicate guitar solo played over the traditional pulsating bass line. It builds in to a full out jam and guitar solo of course, then slows down gradually fizzling out.
The Datsuns are no doubt at their best when they are bashing through a song like it's just insulted their mothers. 'Yeah Yeah Just Another Mistake' begins with guitar distortion before the inevitable Datsun riff kicks in. It's punchy, fast and something to scream, shout and generally lose the plot too. The same can be said of tracks like 'So Long' and 'Pity Pity Please'.
"Head Stunts is an anagram of The Datsuns!" says de Borst, and that's about as clever as it gets, but ever since their self titled debut haven't The Datsuns always put emphasis on the "rocking the f*** out" as apposed to their Wordsworthian abilities? Quite. What's more, their live performances have always had rave reviews, but over the years there has been a need for this once so hyped band to expand on their power charged 70's rock fuelled licks and riffs, showing us an ability to keep the essence of their appeal yet organically build and move on. Unfortunately, if the scale of movement was from London to Uzbekistan they've got stuck somewhere near the Dartford tunnel.
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