Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (Album)
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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s newest effort, Baby 81, can be compared to a long road trip. When you set off, you are excited, laughing and joking with your friends and settling in for the ride. Half way through, you start to get over it, your friends are asleep and you are stuck driving on a dead straight road. By the time you finally arrive at your destination, you are so glad that the trip is over and relieved to be out of the car…
The album’s name, Baby 81, came when drummer Nick Jago stumbled over a story about a lost baby after a tsunami, labelled “numbered 81”, and the name apparently stuck. The relevance to the name choice however is not seen throughout this 13-track release - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's number four.
After releasing an acoustic-type album in 2005 ( Howl), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are apparently “back”, with the feel of this album reflecting their previous work (self-titled album, 2001 & Take Them On, On Your Own, 2003).
But, there is something lacking on this Indie-folk-glam-rock album, influenced by the likes of Jesus and Mary Chain and the Velvet Underground. Originality maybe? Creativity? A soul?!
The album kicks off with the beautiful, dirty guitar-enhanced sounds of 'Took Out A Loan' which is sexy, honest and raw, reminiscent of The Black Keys recent work. But, it seems a false-promise beginning.
The first three tracks, also including catchy, sing-along track 'Berlin' and standard, but fun 'Weapon Of Choice', make this album, tantalising you like a beer after a long day…
That is, until track four, 'Windows'. The standard keys progression throughout is boring. The vocals are lazy and drawn-out. 'Windows' is a definite throwback to the Vines’ second album, Winning Days (2004). In fact, much of Baby 81 sounds like The Vines. Drawling, slurring vocals and distorted guitars. Yawn.
The urge to turn this CD off now is strong. Luckily, my boyfriend thought that track 5 ('Cold Wind') was the best on this release, so we listened on…
How can you listen to a song titled '666 Conducer'?
And it goes on. There is so much potential on Baby 81 and space to progress, but the songs featured on this album never seem to take off.
Of course, the instrumentation is solid and if anything, at least the boys Jago, Peter Hayes (guitar/bass/vocals) and Robert Levon Been (guitar/bass/vocals) can be satisfied with being good musicians. The songs however, just don’t have the substance, even though NME seemed to think so, as did US fans, with Baby 81 charting the highest out of any other Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album there.
The only redeeming factor in second half of Baby 81 is 'All You Do Is Talk'. The intro is all mystical but minimal, the lyrics are meaningful, and the structure, organic.
In an interview with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club they said that Howl freed them to go “anywhere afterwards”. The question is, with the freedom and creative-juices flowing after Howl two years ago, why did they go straight back to exactly where they came from?
