Singles Roundup: Kim Jennett, The Darkness, Sarah & The Safe Word, & Ad Infinitum

Let's dive in:

Kim Jennett - Hell Is Wherever You Are

I first heard Kim's voice when she released a version of the song "Love Like Suicide", which was not only one of my favorite songs that year, but one of the few vocal performances I heard that made me stop and take notice. Her voice was a phenomenon, and I was expecting her to get picked up as one of the next big voices spread around across the rock scene. That didn't happen, since the industry is as much about luck as it is talent, but now she is once again moving to put out her own original music. This song captures the energy and tone of pop/rock circa the "Since U Been Gone" days, albeit with a bit more grime and grit in the guitars. It's a sound I'm quite fond of, and Kim's ode to Sartre's most famous quote is an enjoyable return for her. The only thing I would say is that as someone with sensitivities that seems to extend beyond most people, the production could leave her voice sounding a bit more natural. An instrument that good should be left to shine on its own.

The Darkness - The Longest Kiss

"Permission To Land" recently celebrated an anniversary, and it reminded me of just how much a one-album-wonder The Darkness were. That record is a wonderfully cheesy slice of hard rock, and nothing they've done since has ever lived up, as they relied too much on bad jokes and Queen pastiche. That's where we find ourselves once again, as the band goes deep on trying to sound like Queen, but light on writing an actual song. The elements are there, but I'm not joking when I say it took until the end of the song to realize what the chorus was supposed to be. It came and went a couple of times before I even noticed, which means once again The Darkness are seemingly going to fail to live up to the one time they got it right.

Sarah & The Safe Word - Invert The Jenny

I didn't care much for the band's previous single, but I'm happy to report this one is a far more engaging listen. The theatricality is back in full force, telling a story I haven't quite deciphered, but culminating in a chorus that brings the scene to a fitting crescendo. What I loved about their "Book Of Broken Glass" album was the mixture of punk and theater with irresistible pop hooks, and that is what this song is able to do. You can call it mainstream avant-garde, or artistic pop, but either way it makes for something unique, and uniquely satisfying.

Ad Infinitum - Surrender

Three songs, and I'm worried about the new album. I thought they had finally figured things out on "Chapter III", but this song continues their shift in more 'modern' directions. The harsh vocals and speak-cadence verses are a jarring fit with the more melodic chorus. The band delivers on the melody that elevates them above so many other modern metal bands, but they lose focus on what they do best. The electronic bits and the harsh vocals might be trying to add color to their usual sound, but they don't feel fully integrated, and more than that they don't add to the composition. Those bits by themselves do not have interesting tones or rhythms to them, so putting them in the song does not add anything memorable. I fear they are trying to fit in a box, and not realizing how small the confines are.