Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Return for the Aussies, 17 Oct 2007
"The troublesome second album", although technically the third (they did one before Natalie Bassingthwaite joined), is an accomplished electropop/rock/dance album. Unlike 'Here Come the Drums' which featured a few good heavily-sampling single releases backed up by passable album tracks, Dark is consistently high quality, delivering a mix of rock, pop and more complex tunes, prominently featuring the Bassingthwaite vocal. There's something about her vocal style that I find very appealing: she sounds thoroughly disreputable; the kind of girl your mother warned you about - almost Avril Lavigne, but not fake. The driving, pounding, electro-dance/rock style, reminiscent of Transvision Vamp or, maybe, Blondie for the 21st century couple with those vocals to great effect: there is often a sense of mischievous play, of a tongue ever-so-slightly in cheek, which works well.
Even on the best of albums, there's usually one track that doesn't quite get there. Not so for this. Calling All Lovers starts us off in typical style, the opening few bars reminding me of Bodyrox's Yeah Yeah. This I am sure will be a single release, with a good catchy hook and pounding electro-rock accompaniment. Don't You Wanna Feel, the first scheduled single, is a more punk outing, with good synth and the ever-present electronic percussion sound. I Never Liked You starts off sounding like another version of the first track, but is more electropop with Bassingthwaite at her playful best. Candy Coloured Lights starts like the lovechild of Tubular Bells and Blue Monday, then settles into a slower almost wistful electronic style. Speak and Destroy picks up on this theme, but soon becomes rockier, with a great hook of "down down down down we go, straight on like an arrow" with synth in places sounding like sample of classic Jean-Michel Jarre. Childlike sees an acoustic guitar opening reminiscent of that other ex-Neighbours Natalie, Miss Imbruglia and continues in a more thoughtful rock ballad way. On Your Way to the Disco sounds like a continuation of the theme started in Drum's Voodoo Child, which is no bad thing. 8th Wonder is where I hear a likeness to Avril Lavigne, the tongue in the cheek again, but producing a great synth-rock-pop sound. The title track has the tongue in the cheek, with a good electropop/rock tune. What You're On starts with a couple of bars of pseudo-classical synth, but soon settles into a slower paced poppier ballad. Throw You Arms Around Me starts with just a hint of ABBA's Voulez-Vous before a typical Bassingthwaite vocal takes over and they're back on familiar turf. Finally we have The Price We Pay which sees the acoustic guitar again, and strings which fuse with a rock break to form a mature, thoughtful ending to an excellent album.
I hope Traders are going to be around for a long time. They may not be the best rock or dance group in the world ever, but they do what they do well and there's not really anyone else doing quite the same thing.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Better in the Dark, 25 Mar 2009
One of my favouite albums,I never get tired of it,Rogue Traders at their very best.
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~ Rogue Traders
~ Natalie Bassingthwaighte
~ Delta Goodrem
~ Ladyhawke
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