I get to say I was actually on the bandwagon for Those Darlins pretty early. They've been together since 2006, and I didn't have any idea who they were until 2009, but I saw them open up for The Dexateens here in Cleveland before their first album came out. In fact, I loved them so much, that I went to Music Saves the next Tuesday to see if they had their album, because they didn't have it at their merch table at the show, because it hadn't come out yet. As it turned out, Music Saves had just got it that day, and I even got a free pair of sunglasses with the record (long gone, cheap and didn't say anything like Those Darlins on them). So I bought the record and may very well be the first person here to actually buy one. So I've got that going for me.
I was really psyched to see The Dexateens and didn't care one way or another who opened for them, but these three girls and a guy (on drums) just blew me away. They sang funny, crazy songs about getting drunk and eating chickens out of the garbage in the kitchen and they sang about being snaggle-toothed and getting a tin roof tan. The also blasted me with twangy guitars, hard hitting drums and harmony vocals that were the kind of thing I didn't think people remembered how to do. Elliot from The Dexateens ran across their stage once or twice and it just looked like everyone was having a blast! After the show I met the band (it was a small place and meeting bands there is easy), and they were just terrific people, genuinely happy to hear that we thought they were great, and seemed bummed that I couldn't get their album yet because they'd have signed it for me.
They got some TV time with the opening track, Red Light Love for a Kia commercial. It's a raucous blast of fun to open the record, and while they really have a Punkish edge live, this album is a little more laid back and Countrified. I think it may be a little cleaner than they actually sound, but it just works so well with a twangy song from the holler like Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy or Glass To You. If it were up to me, I'd have left a little more crunchiness in the rockers like Red Light Love or DUI or Die, but then I think I'm kind of picking nits. It's a first album, and it shows a lot of directions this band can go, but it never loses touch of where it came from. I really love it, and I really love the band. You know women singing, If you can't handle crazy, go ahead and leave probably know what they want, and I bet this record is pretty close to sounding like they wanted it to.
My record is cool. It's pink vinyl, nice and flat, but it has a few pops and crackles in it that I wish weren't there. I guess some records are just like that, so it's not wrecking my day or anything. Those Darlins also included a cd version of the album, too. I think that's just beyond cool of them, particularly for their first album. I'm sure the money for that came out of their side of the deal, and it was nice of them to do that so I could listen to it on my way home the day I bought it. They're a kick ass band, and this is a great start!
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