Rock And Roll Is Black And Blue

Description

Danko Jonesmight just be the best band in the world NME

Like AC/DC sniffing glue with Motley Crue Maxim

Canadas Danko Jones have an element thats so badly overlooked in garage rock they understand soul Classic Rock

Danko Jones does more than a passable impression of the coolest motherf**ker on the planet Kerrang

The worlds most entertaining hard rockers Spin

So what do we really know about rock n roll? That its got a backbeat, and you can lose it any old time you use it. That doing it all night will often lead to partying every day or, at the very least, some hootchie- coo. That it is most certainly not noise pollution (and thus, one presumes, environmentally friendly). That there is at least one high school named after it. That it was given to you by God. That you cant stop it. That it never forgets. And that, despite rumours of its demise, it will never die.

Danko Jones knows all of these things, but more than just celebrate the mythology of rock n roll, he stands as a model of all the hard work required to honour its legacyall the overnight drives, sleeplessnights, long-distance relationshipping, and pints of spilt blood and sweat (but no tearstheres no crying in rock n roll). Its the only life hes known for the past 16 years, the gory details of which are on full display in the recently released documentary DVD, Bring on the Mountain, and upcoming tell-all book Too Much Trouble: A Very Oral History of Danko Jones. Given everything hes been through, its no surprise to find that rock n roll has left Danko Jones a little black and blue. But hes always itching for the next hitlike the sweet little heartbreakers that populate his songs, rock n roll is an addiction he dont wanna quit.

Over the course of six albums, Danko Jones has forged a singular brand of rock n roll that draws equally from the blues, 60s garage, 70s hard rock and power-pop, 80s hardcore, 90s indie rock and Scandinavian metalnot to mention classic stand-up comedy recordswithout ever being fully defined by any of those sources. But while built from the same rudiments, each Danko Jones record has possessed a distinct sonic identity and attitude. Im Alive and Im On Fire was pure blues-punk fury. Born a Lion brought the boogie and sledgehammer soul. We Sweat Blood was more anxious and aggro. Sleep Is the Enemy wielded the sharpest hooks. Never Too Loud was as slick as Below the Belt was stripped-down. But, compared to all thats come before, Rock and Roll Is Black and Blue is, hands down, the most emotional and, as a result, the most epic Danko Jones album to date.

Now, dont be scared off by those E-wordstheres not a childrens choir, symphony orchestra or piano ballad to be found within a 500-mile radius of this album. But what you hear on Rock and Roll Is Black and Blue is the Danko Jones ideal blown up to skyscraping proportions, resulting in 12 tracks that are bolder, brasher, and brawnier than anything theyve attempted before.

So what exactly has changed since 2010s comparatively scrappy Below the Belt, an album that cracked the U.S. Top 40 Active Rock Radio charts, and spawned a video trilogy that marked the first time Elijah Wood and Ralph Macchio have shared screen time with Lemmy Kilmister and Mike Watt? For a hint, look behind the drum kit, where youll now find Atom Willardthe sixth person in Danko Jones history to hold the drummer title, but the first to stand on equal creative footing with Danko and his longtime foil, bassist John JC Calabrese. The mans résumé speaks for itself: Not only was Willard the driving percussive force behind Dankos all-time favorite San Diegan garage-punk armada Rocket From the Crypt, hes also been keeping time for the multi-platinum likes of the Offspring and Angels & Airwavesso he knows how to drum his way around a massive, radio-ready tune.

Now, Danko Jones has never been lacking for confidence, but with Willard in the tail-gunner position, the band sounds more fearless than ever, whether taking it low and slow with the majestic Zeppelin-worthy groove of You Wear Me Down, or aiming sky-high on the cloud-parting chorus of Just a Beautiful Day and the soaring centrepiece track Always Away. The latter is another addition to the great Danko Jones canon of road songsbut where previous entries like Code of the Road and Sleep Is the Enemy were testaments to the bands tireless work ethic, Always Away offers a different perspective: Its an anthemic, open-hearted address to that special someone whos holding down the fort back home. And it is perhaps the most sincere, heartfelt song Danko has ever sungbut fear not, even at his most sentimental, Danko still comes armed with a bitchin Thunderstruck-sized riff.

In other developments, there are also, for the first time on a Danko Jones record, songs that reference geo-politics (I Dont Care) and religion (I Believed in Goda grand, gospelized finale cut from the same cloth as the early signature track Love Is Unkind), though they essentially serve to reiterate that Danko Jones doesnt give a shit about either of those topics. Because, ultimately, Rock and Roll Is Black and Blue is focused on whos inflicting the bruises: that Conceited Type of Girl with the kind of Legs that force you to Get Up and feel Terrified until you scream Dont Do This!. And thats just how this self-professed Masochist likes it.