This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
The Darkness are more flamboyant. The Hives are snappier dressers. And Jet have more scruffy hipster appeal.
Maybe that explains why New Zealand’s Datsuns have been overlooked in the great guitar-rawk revival of the past few years. But if the boys are feeling as neglected as the title of their sophomore disc suggests, at least they haven’t let it harsh their buzz much.
On the John Paul Jones-helmed Outta Sight / Outta Mind, The Datsuns put the pedal to the metal once again, fuelled by a high-octane mix of garage, glam and plenty of good ole 12-bar ’70s boogie. Hard-driving opener Blacken My Thumb nicks a lick from Ted Nugent’s Stormtroopers, Lucille’s low-neck riffage sounds like Budgie biting Hendrix, and gritty nuggets like Girls Best Friend, Cherry Lane and the ominous closer I Got No Words could be outtakes from an early Alice Cooper album.
Sadly, nothing here packs the same sucker-punch as MF From Hell off their first album. But even if they haven’t reinvented their own wheel, there’s more than enough potent retro-rock on Outta Sight / Outta Mind to ensure it fulfils the first half of its title. Now they just have to hope somebody notices.
