Rating:

(Kemado, 2005) Diamond Nights’ first full length for Kemado Records just about reaches the limit of excellence one can expect from a debut record. It’s got a full stockpile of classic rock a-bombs to drop on any stereo that dares to attempt to capture the vigor and enthusiasm Diamond Nights brings to the table on every track. The band was obviously raised on the hard rock greats of the past, and they make no effort to hide their influences. Their inspiration shows through strongly on tracks such as “Destination Diamonds,” “Saturday Fantastic,” and “It’s A Shokka,” which may as well have been recorded by Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, and Judas Priest, respectively. Not every song is a direct homage to a ’70s rock giant, but all of them maintain the mood perfectly. The closest thing to an exception is the synth-drenched “The Girl’s Attractive,” which may as well have been the theme song to Miami Vice, with its cooler-than-Don-Johnson-in-a-convertible vibe. Other highlights include the guitar workout on “Beyond The City Of Love” and the catchy acoustic balladry of “Snakey Ruth.” Some may question the sincerity of a classic hard rock record that gets released by an indie rock label. Is this all just a fabulous hipster joke? After seeing the band live, I can vouch for the fact that they all love the music they play. If there’s a joke here, it’s on the hipsters. Throw your fists in the air and fucking rock!
(Note: Several of the tracks here first appeared on Diamond Nights’ Once We Were Diamonds EP.)

1.  Destination Diamonds
2.  Saturday Fantastic
3.  Drip Drip
4.  It's A Shokka
5.  Red Hex
6.  The Girl's Attractive
7.  Beyond The City Of Love
8.  Snakey Ruth
9.  Dirty Thief
10. Needle In The Rice
11. A Kiss To Tell
12. Ordinary Life

Buy album

– Kevin

This 4-beetsreview was posted on February 8th, 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.