The Bottom Line: Unless you find Outta Sight/Outta Mind somewhere for free and don't have anything else to put in your stereo, my suggestion is to avoid this mess from The Datsuns.
lambchops's Full Review: Outta Sight/Outta Mind by The Datsuns
The Hives, The White Stripes, The Strokes, The…damn….there are too many “The” bands to keep track of these days. In fact, the whole garage rock thing is getting old.
On one hand I’m relieved that rock n’ roll is not dead. I’m happy that guitars and drums have made a comeback and that the popularity of teenybopper pop is waning. However as was the case in the late 1980’s everything that was once cool, edgy, and worthwhile is going incredibly mainstream and becoming generic polluting both the airwaves and even permeating MTV’s fourteen-year-old audience.
Lesser known than The Darkness and The White Stripes is a band from New Zealand. Upon releasing their self-titled 2002 debut the kiwis were awarded a good deal of attention based on the current musical direction and the fickle but oh-so-trendy British press’ support. Unfortunately the band’s first album didn’t do anything to support those early claims. The Datsuns made glam 1970’s rock but unlike The Darkness they took themselves rather seriously. It’s as if the four-piece band sat down and consciously recreated every mood, riff, and sneer from the era. Maybe had they admitted to their parody it would be more forgivable, but the fact is that The Datsuns think they are much more relevant than they really are.
Dolf de Borst (vocals, bass), Christian Livingstone (guitar), Phil Buske (guitar), and Matt Osment (drums) play dress up in the all-round adoption of the “Datsun” surname. It was cool thirty years ago when the Ramones did it, but The Datsuns don’t come across nearly as rebellious or punk hence my inclusion of their not-nearly-as-cool birth names. The foursome returned in 2004 with their second LP Outta Sight/Outta Mind on V2. Not at all surprisingly, I’m once again under whelmed by the band’s unintentionally funny schlock-rock endeavor. Once the overwhelming laughter subsides after the first listen, I’m left with a generally empty and vaguely nauseous feeling about The Datsuns. I still don’t know who they are outside of grubby, unoriginal, occasionally palatable wanna-be hipster “rockers.”
The trouble begins early on Outta Sight/Outta Mind. Blacken My Thumb is indistinct, colorless, emotionless, and in the end ugly song. However, now is the right time to mention that there is one thing that The Datsuns do right. Their songs are short—seriously, I don’t think I could live another moment if they went nutto and decided to record a 10-minute epic. Another thing I can’t avoid saying is that on their own, the songs are by and large innocuous. They aren’t great, they aren’t horrible, they are just forgettable. However, as a part of this disc it is painfully obvious that The Datsuns are a one-trick pony.
That Sure Ain’t Right, Girls Best Friend, and Messin’ Around continue down this same dead-end path. Messin’ Around in particular sounds like the band picked up the Dazed & Confused soundtrack for inspiration, mixed together bits of each song, and then spat up the congealed result. It’s truly a troubling song. Speaking of troubling, I’m forced to recommend skipping the gruff, fast-paced crapper Get Up! (Don’t Fight It). Is there no end to the merciless torture?
Hong Kong Fury, the “tender” What I’ve Lost, and You Can’t Find Me stop up the middle section of the album. Barely better than dead air, the songs are chock full of every rock cliché imaginable. Guitar solos, heavy drums, excited “punk” vocals, layered backing voices, and the occasional “hey, hey, hey, hey” in the distance. I’m not just under whelmed by this album—it actually offends me. If this is indeed what people think rock and roll should be then I highly suggest young people today check out Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and a host of other truly excellent bands for examples of truly outstanding songwriting, performance, and musicianship.
The end of Outta Sight/Outta Mind is no better than the beginning. In fact, while at the start I can handle some songs because they formula isn’t quite apparent toward the end I’m bored of the same pace, mood, and annoying arrangements. The Datsuns are by no means at the heart of the current rock movement. In the context of the late 1980’s, The Datsuns are to The White Stripes as Britny Fox was to Guns n’ Roses. It’s that big and that distinct of a separation between talents.
Outta Sight/Outta Mind lacks teeth, intelligence, creativity, inspiration, and entertainment value despite the fact it was produced by Zeppelin alum John Paul Jones. The only real value in the album is that it proves just how good music from many of “The” contemporaries actually is. If you want a taste of modern rock/metal/garage I highly suggest you not check out The Datsuns. Instead turn your attention to the tongue-in-cheek sexuality of The Darkness or the overall fabulousness of The White Stripes, the psychedelic The Coral, or the hip retro The Hives to name a few. Pretty much any name you throw out is better than this travesty.
Rating: 1/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Blacken My Thumb
02. That Sure Ain’t Right
03. Girls Best Friend
04. Messin’ Around
05. Cherry Lane
06. Get Up! (Don’t Fight It)
07. Hong Kong Fury
08. What I’ve Lost
09. You Can’t Find Me
10. Don’t Come Knocking
11. Lucille
12. I Got No Words
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