sometimes to find good music, you have to go rooting in the past. in this case, i didnt have to dig very deep. my friend jeremy introduced me to the sounds of
black rebel motorcycle club a few months back, and ive been digging ever since.
the band, a trio from california, formed in 1998, and have released three albums on major labels. i'll hafta do some further digging to see if i can find anything from their indie days in the late 90s. they borrowed their name from "the Marlon Brando-led biker gang who stormed into that dusty California hamlet in The Wild One". their first two albums,
brmc (2001) and
take them on, on your own (2003) have a punk rock kinda vibe (both acoustically and politically), but incorporate more bass-driven guitar, rather than any screeching chords. they also sound very mature and harmonic, and dont prescribe to any of the teen-angst punk we so often hear. drummer nick jago kicks the tunes into gear, with melancholic, fast-paced, kick-ass rock n roll, especially with tracks like
white palms,
spread your love,
stop, and
whatever happened to my rock n roll (punk song). robert been and peter hayes share the vocals, but both have a grungy, dusty, hard style of delivery that complements the somber guitar and heavy-hearted sound. softer melodies such as
salvation soothe the broken soul. i love the sounds these guys use; its the stuff of courage, cigars, scotch on the rocks, and
1875 .45 colt frontier pistols. heh. john wayne meets che guevera meets bob dylan. johnny cash meets the ramones meets the stone roses. in my opinion, i see brmc having influenced the sounds of independent canadian act death from above 1979 (see earlier post).
brmc released their 3rd album to some critical acclaim in 2005, titled
howl. though this album stays true to their roots of heavy rock n roll, they do add more folk, blues, acoustic sounds. brmc shows they still know how to swing a beat with tracks like
shuffle your feet and
ain't no easy way out, but the album is dominated by the softer chords which made rarer appearances on the first two compilations. here, brmc proves their true musicianship, with
howl,
the line (a personal fav), and
gospel song.
across the three albums, brmc maintains their somber, melancholic sound. though it is based on 80s punk rock, it definitely blends an original sound in today's music scene, with dark acoustics and the occasional harmonica and accordian. for some reason, their music reminds me of che guevera, i have no idea why; maybe its the political edge some of their music embodies. these guys are not afraid to do their own thing, i definitely recommend checkin them out.
