Danko Jones - Sleep Is The Enemy 2006

If there's one thing Danko Jones knows how to do at this point, it's how to rock. They did it in We Sweat Blood, and it's exactly what they do again in their fifth full-length album, Sleep Is the Enemy. The formula for both these albums has been pretty consistent: fast power chords with a distorted bass echoing the guitar; loud, driving drums; and vocals that fluctuate from a low growl to a mellifluous croon to a full-out scream. But that doesn't mean the new album is ever boring: there are too much raw emotion and sexual energy to allow anyone even a brief moment to nod off. For the band, this is a very important thing; the name of the record is Sleep Is the Enemy, after all, and the simple, to-the-point choruses are just meant to be shouted along to in packed, sweaty stadiums. Jones himself is all testosterone and bravado and is in great form vocally, expressing his indifference toward a jaded lover in "Baby Hates Me," instructing the less confidence in when and how to give "The Finger," and angrily yelling his plans for revenge in "Time Heals Nothing." Yes, the themes here, like they always have been with the band, are women and sex and aggression, which are practically the same thing for Jones, but in Sleep Is the Enemy his willingness to explore the ambiguity of the topics shows his (slightly greater) maturity. In "She's Drugs" (which contains the fantastically catchy chorus "She's drugs, she's drugs/Just one look and you get addicted/She's drugs, she's drugs/You take a look and now you're hooked, that's what I predicted"), he chides a friend for being seduced by a dangerous woman, but then in "Invisible," he goes on to list a number of extreme things he'll do for another who isn't noticing him (burning his house down, maxing out his credit card, and making his mother cry being three of the least violent examples). Yeah, Sleep Is the Enemy isn't a musical genius by any standard, but it is a loud, confident, straightforward, and fun album that skips guitar solos and instrumental frills to focus on what truly matters to Danko Jones: rocking. AMG.

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Danko Jones - Born A Lion 2002

OK, let's be clear: You have to check your political correctness at the door when you listen to this one.Danko Jones has swapped damaged high-test soul music for a more blues-oriented rock sound, and with that change comes a more upfront pose, especially about bad women, bad love, and bad attitude. It's certainly a more polished and confident sound out of the Toronto trio, but it's a bit of a disappointment for listeners expecting the slightly more original sound found on the band's two EPs. Instead, the band's first full-length album offers up a loud guitar rifforama far more reminiscent ofAC/DC or Soundgarden (perhaps this sound was the natural outcome of the time the band spent touring Europe and hanging out in Sweden -- there's certainly more of a kinship now with a band likeHellacopters than any touchstone from beforehand). That's not to say the release is bad by any means. It rocks like hell, and even if sentiments like "if you wanna know how to play the blues, get yourself a woman" seem retrogressive, they're balanced off by sly nods to the Temptations, a shout-out to everyone regardless of their skin color ("Caramel City"), and the sheer rock & roll passion throughout the whole album. As a special bonus, the CD comes with an enhanced multimedia portion with a video for the "Sound of Love" single, as well as two hidden tracks. AMG.

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