Black Dog Barking

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Few bands embody this spirit more than Australian rock n’ rollers Airbourne.  Now on their third album, the group have made more or less no attempt at musical innovation since arriving on the scene in 2007 with their debut, Runnin’ Wild.  The group has been denounced for its resemblance to other bands, and undeniably, their huge power chords and simple songwriting recalls ’70s rock stalwarts (particularly those from their home nation, hint hint) with more than a dose of familiarity.  Unfortunately for those who have criticised the band on this basis, however, Airbourne don’t really seem to care.

Boasting such song titles as ‘Ready To Rock’, ‘Back In The Game’, and ‘Live It Up’, the band’s lyrics are less entwined with poignant introspection or thoughtful musings on the meaning of life, and are instead very much concerned with drinking, partying, and resting so you can do it all again the next day.  Black Dog Barking is, first and foremost, a fun album, and its release before the ten or so days of “summer” on these shores ensures it will be put to good use.  Optimally, this means blasting it out at uncomfortable volumes in an outside venue of your choice, accompanied by a cool beverage and a barbeque.  To do otherwise would border on criminal.

Black Dog Barking sounds crisper, more polished, and suffers less from the “loudness war” than its predecessor.

On to the songs, then.  A particular highlight is the rousing ‘No One Fits Me (Better Than You)’: catchier than The Darkness and with meatier riffs, this one grabs your attention at 100mph and never lets up.  Its follower, the aforementioned ‘Back In The Game’, and its successor, ‘Firepower’, also make for great anthemic tunes.  The latter deserves a particular mention, boasting a slow-building bridge which sounds built for a live environment, sandwiching an impressive solo and a colossal chorus.  ‘Woman Like That’ flaunts infectious chants that Mötley Crüe would be jealous of, and ‘Animalize’ mixes suggestive lyrics with guitar work that may or may not have been beamed directly from the brain of Angus Young.

However, it’s not all great.  Some of the songs, including ‘Ready To Rock’ and the title cut, merely fade into the background, and there aren’t as many tracks that scream “beast” as on the band’s debut.  Still, it’s significantly stronger than their sophomore effort, 2010’s No Guts No Glory, with a better production job to boot.  Black Dog Barking sounds crisper, more polished, and suffers less from the “loudness war” than its predecessor.  It could perhaps do with slightly more of the “raw” edge that made Runnin’ Wild so thrilling, but that’s possibly a tad picky, as the album sounds great, and any detriment in its impact is probably more attributable to the quality of some of its songs than it is to its production.  Overall, it’s a decent effort: it won’t set the world on fire, but Black Dog Barking is enjoyable all the same, and worth a look.

Similar To: AC/DC, Motörhead

MP3: ‘No One Fits Me (Better Than You)’