ALBUM: There's something you should know...

So school's started again and this little town is once again teeming with wide-eyed youth, moving in, buying books and supplies, and generally getting ready to fill their minds with higher education. I'm always excited for the new school year, but a part of me gets a little down to see the days getting shorter, the air getting colder, and the campus library looming on the hill - almost promising to swallow me whole in the coming weeks and months. Shudder.

So it's about this time that I need some music with a few rough edges to it, something with a little bit more rock than roll to kick off the fall season. Which is why I've been listening a lot to Darker My Love's new sophomore LP, simply titled 2.

The album is a swirling foray into 60's psychedelic rock, replete with fuzzed out and heavy hook-laden guitars and breathy washed-out vocals. But don't let the spaciness deter you - amidst all the sub-par 60's throw-backs that are always popping up, Darker My Love are one of the few that do it right, with just enough post-punk edge mixed with the vintage acid-daze to make it all relevant. They rock hard, but there's more than initially meets the ears here, as the crunchy guitars and drums weave surprisingly cohesive melodies and rhythms in and out of these songs. The album opens dramatically with some of the more catchy and straight-ahead numbers 'Blue Day' and 'Two Ways Out' before settling down a little with 'White Composition' and then finding a steady beat through the middle of the record. The high point for me comes in the panoramic 'All the Hurry and Wait' with its long crescendo and Sgt. Pepper's-like string parts that wash right into the aptly titled 'Waves', which ebbs and flows dramatically during its short 2 or so minutes. The whole record's pretty fun, especially for lovers of the old rock-n-roll tradition, or those who might not be ready to settle down into the school routine just yet...

Darker My Love - Blue Day
from the album 2 (Amazon/iTunes)

Darker My Love - Two Ways Out
from the album 2 (Amazon/iTunes)

Unfortunately, they've had to cancel their show in Salt Lake this Friday, but they promise to make it up to us next time around . So while we look forward to that, the rest of you out there can try to catch them when they come through your town (check out their tour dates on their blog, here)