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Review: Jack Foley
BLACK Rebel Motorcycle Club's new album claims to be about everything
from death, guns, drugs and religion, to family, politics, music
and sex - so what else is new?
In a world seen by many as being dictated by US foreign policy,
there is plenty to be angry about; to protest against; and to
be rebellious over.
Everyone from One Minute
Silence and Blur, to
DM and Jemini and
Asian Dub Foundation seems to have something to say at the moment
- the important thing is how you say it.
For as BRMC singer, Peter Hayes, notes: "The whole fucking
point of art is to question what’s going on. That’s
art’s purpose and artists have every right in the world to
do that."
BRMC have long considered themselves to be the outsiders, and
the follow-up album to their critically-acclaimed, self-titled
debut, continues the trend.
It is an angry album, but also an intensely personal one. Yes,
it contains social and political commentary, but it also contains
moments of personal reflection, of looking in on one's own world,
as well as out at another person's.
And it's a mightily impressive album to boot.
The feeling of rebellion is best summed up in the track, Generation,
in which the wailing guitars are in overdrive, and Hayes' declares
that he has nowhere to go with this generation, before spewing
contemptuous lines such as 'I'm keeping up with you and your invasion
eyes, you got the world in a coma'.
The vitriol is even more direct in US Government, which
begins with the lyrics 'I spit my faith on the city pavement,
to keep a smile, I bought my legs from the US government to keep
me in line'.
And yet, somehow, the lyrics seem justified, perhaps because
you sense that the band really believe in them, rather than singing
them to get noticed. It is part of the BRMC ethos. They genuinely
are outsiders, but wouldn't have it any other way.
In short, they are true rock 'n' roll rebels who, importantly,
know how to rock.
Take the sweeping first track, and first single, Stop,
with its distorted guitars and take no prisoners approach - which
encompasses the BRMC sound, while also feeling as though it has
benefited from the time spent with the likes of Oasis on the road.
Similarly, We're All In Love, which harks back to the
Seventies rock of T-Rex, the Sex Pistols, or, more latterly, The
Jesus and Mary Chain - the influences are distinct, yet never
ripped off.
And then there's the quieter, more reflective moments, usually
confined to one track on most other rock out albums.
Shade of Blue, especially, is an achingly personal record
about a lost relationship, and a tough decision, screaming out
with the muted pain and frustration of a desperate situation;
while the acoustic And I'm Aching, is a terrific time out,
about the pain of being in love.
Both tracks serve to provide BRMC with a personal side, and one
which the listener can identify with, even if they disagree with
the sentiments that have gone before.
Take Them On, On Your Own is a ballsy record from start
to finish, with very few low points. The NME has already hailed
it as a rock masterpiece and it is easy to see why.
Anyone who thought BRMC was a one-trick pony had better think
again, for this merely cements their reputation as a band to watch,
who could well be around for a very long time. Here's hoping they
continue to take them on, on their own.
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Track listing:
1. Stop
2. Six Barrel Shotgun
3. We're All In Love
4. In Like The Rose
5. Ha Ha High Babe
6. Generation
7. Shade Of Blue
8. Us Government
9. And I'm Aching
10. Suddenly
11. Rise Or Fall
12. Going Under
13. Heart + Soul
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