Well well, it has been a long time since I posted any reviews, hasn’t it.  Sorry about that, but I’ve been digesting.  Given the dreadful conclusions I have come to about music when too hasty, I tend to try and let things sink in a bit before sounding off about them.  This means this blog will always be a bit slow to pick up on new things, but hopefully no less than averagely stupid when it comes to talking about them.

BRMC fans will, I’m afraid, still think this review is a little stupid.  Given the joys of the acoustic but nevertheless feral Howl and the re-introduction of their garage rock guitars I thought Baby 81 had the potential to be astoundingly good. It isn’t though, it’s Rawk.

There’s something about the addition of the screaming guitar that distinctly lessens the impact of this record for me and turns it into something altogether less engaging.  I don’t know why, either.  The passion and drive are definitely there, just something about the new sound means it shoots right by me without really hitting home at all.

I was talking to a BRMC fan about this on the weekend (as soon as people hear about the blog they tend to assume that I’m knowledgeable, rather than just opinionated)  and he said I should try their first album rather than their second (which preceded Howl) if I want to explore them further, so I may give that a tentative little poke in that direction, but as to this one, I wouldn’t bother if I were you.

Basically, it rawks, rather than rocks.  There’s something slightly ‘big rock sound’ about the guitars – slightly bombastic and late-70s naff, despite the scratchy garage fuzz they create at times – so this just is not for me at all.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Berlin
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Window

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