“Leo Rising is more than just another album from us.,” Danko Jones say about their recent record, out via Perception. It’s a record birthed from a confidence that is learned from years of slog. Rest assured, there is no smugness here, only an unmitigated certainty of rock excellence.”
“However, if you don’t believe me and still need to peer behind the song and go beyond the sound to procure some significance, here is Leo Rising broken down song by song so you can get closer to the album.”
What You Need – I have to be honest; I didn’t think this song was going to be the lead-off track to the album. I had heard this as an album cut meant to perk up a listener past the midway point, à la Flaunt It or Burn in Hell. When JC sequenced the album with it at the top of the heap, I jolted at first, but then fell in place. There’s no song on the album worthier to lead.
Lyrically, it’s a self-reflexive curtsy to our band, much like Clutch’s “Earth Rocker” or Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” while maintaining enough vagueness for anyone to get into.
Diamond in the Rough – This definitely has Kiss’ “Dressed To Kill” written all over it. Songs like “Rock Bottom,” “Love Her All I Can,” and “Anything For My Baby” come to mind. When the song screamed for a blistering solo, nobody could do it better than Marty Friedman, and that’s just who plays lead all over this song! It helps that Marty is a giant Kiss fan, so he was able to really get into the song. What an incredible lead he performed on it!
Many people can ape the great rock bands. There are tons of Sabbath and AC/DC ripoffs, but I notice most can’t channel classic Kiss. We can, though.
Everyday is Saturday Night – If our song “Good Time” was our version of “Rock and Roll All Nite,” then we needed to follow it up with our version of “Shout It Out Loud.” This is that song. I love anthems when they’re done right, but up until the last album, we hadn’t fully achieved it. “Everyday is Saturday Night” is proving we’re on a roll when it comes to anthems. Try not singing this all day long after one listen. Let me start you on your way: Monday’s are now Fridays, Tuesdays are my birthday, every day is Saturday night…
I Love It Louder – An obvious Kiss reference but in title only. The rest of the song is a nod to The Jam, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones. When you think about how much we’ve listened to the above-mentioned bands and never had them directly influence our songs, it was about time. Another song about picking yourself up when you get knocked down—the story of everyone’s life.
I’m Going Blind – Don’t know how obvious the Creedence Clearwater Revival influence is on this song, but I just said it, so maybe now you can hear it. Wrote most of this song one summer evening in 15 minutes. It came out like a dam bursting, lyrics too. Only the best songs get written like that, and this is probably the song I’m most proud of on the album. But I had it in broken parts. JC came in and surgically stitched this one together, masterfully.
Hot Fox- I like this song a lot. Everything is here to make it the signature Danko Jones song, circa 1996 to 2025. If you think this song doesn’t ooze lust and desire, you’re half-dead.
Tess Marie from Chasing Heroes/Miss Conduct lent her vocals to backup the track. Thanks, Tess.
Gotta Let It Go – Most of our songs are me singing about someone, or me singing directly to someone else. Not this song. This is me singing to me. The lyric summation is in the title itself. They say “write what you know,” but they should also add, “write what you need to hear.”
Pretty Stuff – If our song “Hot Fox” contains the classic elements of our band, this one does as well. It’s a slow, rough, grind of a song. We have a knack of including one of these type of gritty rockers on most albums—I Like It, Getting Into Drugs, The Sore Loser.
It’s a Celebration – “I can feel it I’m in a good mood. Baby, are you there too? Nothing’s gonna try and get me down. This all ends soon.” That’s how a feel-good song should start, right? This song was tailor-made to pick the listener up from a bad day or low mood, be it through the perky tempo, party lyrics, or obligatory cowbell. It’s a nod to the usual suspects—Kiss, Cheap Trick and Sweet. You should know the drill by now.
I Can’t Stop It – If I had my way, this kind of song would make up the majority of our albums. It’s a solid, no-frills hard rock song. You can put it in the same category as songs by Weezer, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World etc. I know those aren’t exactly the tastemaker appointees, but those bands have a knack of writing melodies like molasses and get it stuck in your ear. This song has that in spades.
Too Slick for Love – If “Funky Drummer” by James Brown laid the foundation for rap music à la Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, and Boogie Down Productions, Hound Dog Taylor’s song “Let’s Get Funky” laid the foundation for this band. We used to do variations off it a lot more back when we first started with songs like “Who Got It?” and “Never Again.” This song is us returning to our roots and serving it up with 12 albums and a couple of decades worth of worldwide touring under our belt. Enjoy.
The post Track-by-Track: Danko Jones – Leo Rising appeared first on Decibel Magazine.