At first glance it might seem unfair that the Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke’s initials are at the center of D.A.R.K.: Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries is only alluded to with the D from her first name and the K represents the last name of Olé Koretsky, a DJ, producer, and singer who had been working with Rourke under the moniker of JETLAG since 2009. Thankfully, D.A.R.K. does not present themselves as a supergroup and the songs on their debut hardly rest on their members’ laurels. But upon close listens to Science Agrees, it will start to make sense why Rourke gets both of his initials right in the middle of the band name.
Although O’Riordan and Koretsky handle all of the vocals, Rourke’s bass is right in the center of the mix throughout the whole album, presented as a lead instrument. It exposes his playing to extra scrutiny and it sometimes sounds dated. It’s not like he’s doing that same old three-note walk up from “Frankly, Mr. Shankly.” It’s more like he’s turning up a little too loud while trying out a new rig at Guitar Center, and proving to anybody within earshot that he knows how to slap. He also digs up a few unlikely influences, and even sounds on occasion like the only other person who could arguably be Manchester’s most famous bassist. But for the most part, Rourke’s playing is tasteful and original, and it’s about time he wasn’t completely overshadowed by Johnny Marr.
Placing this much emphasis on the bass makes the rest of the tracks on the mixer far more subtle. O’Riordan’s voice is underutilized, but she’s not here to belt out “Zombie.” Cranberries fans might be the only group of people who are already fans of Koretsky, whose voice blends with O’Riordan’s in oddly sweet ways. The pair singing together means that a lot of the songs often take on multiple points of view. It’s sometimes like “Don’t You Want Me” if the male character was a morbid creep, like in “Loosen the Noose,” where O’Riordan sings “somebody’s walking close behind me,” and Koretsky later sings, “I found true love six feet below.” “Gunfight” includes both of them singing together, “I remember your eyes, hip to the fact that we’re all gonna die.” They also do a lot of whispered vocals and forlorn deep breathing into the mics.
The album flows well, effortlessly segueing from Achtung Baby-like rock to mechanical new wave like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. O’Riordan and Koretsky sing simple lyrics, often repeating the same phrase over and over, allowing alternate meanings to sink in. Another subtle tactic they employ is to differentiate parts of songs by singing different vocal lines over the same chord progressions, finding enchanting new melodies out of a familiar sound. It's the greatest thing that can happen for the three storied musicians in D.A.R.K.
