Review Summary: Darren Middleton proves his songwriting cred with this side-project debut. However, those who like their rock with hair on its chest should probably steer clear.
In his primary life, Darren Middleton is a guitarist for Australian rock band Powderfinger – quietly sitting back on stage, occasionally interrupting for a pleasant solo or very rare lead vocal job. By night however, Middleton is the driving force of unknown indie band Drag; a project he began nearly a decade ago with drummer Mark McElligott, and one which finally bore a debut album when Powderfinger took a year-long break in 2005.
With
The Way Out, Middleton’s songwriting talents are finally brought into light, with his influences playing an important role in how the arrangements are made. Lead single
You and I takes a page from the likes of New Order with it’s synthpop attitude, and is a welcome addition to the record, if a little out of place amongst all the ballads. Opener
Not So Innocent is ambitious to say the least, but is a very strong track all the same, especially when immediately reinforced with soft rocker
The Road That We Both Travel.
The Frustrated Writer is by far the most peculiar inclusion on the track list. Recalling James Bond of all things, a liberal horn section engulfs most of the song and clearly displays that while Middleton is happy keeping things nice and familiar, there’s still room for eccentricities every now and then. The horn section turns up again in the wonderful
Inside Your Words, where Drag perform what they describe as their “White Album song”. With a quirky chorus and uplifting approach, it will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy – if a little vacant – inside.
The most fulfilling moments however, come late with the gorgeous
Fall In the Haze, and the atmospheric
You Will Save Me. With Powderfinger behind, Middleton finally takes the spotlight and truly shines in these moments. With nothing but an acoustic guitar,
Fall In the Haze carries on with the kind of heartfelt determination usually reserved for his more popular band, whilst the mood created by highlight track
You Will Save Me is something to behold and is most probably the strongest track on the record.
Piano laden
Lady Luck was the original version of Powderfinger’s very successful
Love Your Way, and in reality sounds different enough to warrant its own place here. Middleton proves his undying love for George Harrison with the cosy
Fading Out (complete with Harrison-esque solo) and peaceful yet meandering track
Long Way Home, with the accompanying strings also adding a touch of class. While it’s all terribly lovely however, it never really exceeds this height. Most of the tracks are charming and agreeable, but perhaps a little too pristine for those who like their rock with sweat on. They come close to rocking out on the mostly forgettable
I Know You, but it fails to raise a pulse and leave a lasting impression of any kind.
In fact, this is a problem with the majority of the record. The tracks themselves are certainly very pretty – with Middleton’s lyrical-waxings doing little to deviate from your average soft-rock fare – but the overall production and presentation is simply too textbook to set Drag apart from other mainstream rock acts such as Keane and Snow Patrol. The whole operation just seems to stroll along with little pace or direction, and while this is fine for those who like it light and fluffy, it does mean some good songs get lost amongst all the stock-standard keyboards and mellow percussion.
As a debut though,
The Way Out is certainly confirmation that Middleton is a credible songwriter with a passion for music. His influences ring loudly and proudly, with the likes of Tom Waits and Crowded House all popping up for comparisons, yet it never amounts to reach the sort of mystical heights these famous acts made years earlier, and only confirm Drag’s place as a second-tier mainstream rock act with a few more album’s to go before a unique sound can finally be carved.
The Way Out is by no means a weak album, just a little let down by sterility.
why thank you kind sir
