Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

ROCK

You know what you’re getting when it comes to BRMC. Straight ahead, no frills rock’n’roll delivered with a degree of calculated nonchalance. Loops, samples or a ten-minute long jazz jam are not concepts these guys are familiar with.

But whilst Baby 81 sticks to their formula, it does have its moments. The low-slung groove of opener ‘Took Out a Loan’, the casual menace of ‘Need Some Air’ and the organ-heavy atmospherics of ‘All You Do is Talk’, particular stand outs amongst the usual fare. All of which adds up to an album that’s by no means bad but not quite great. Like Queens of the Stone Age, they have a propensity for chemical experimentation, but sadly they lack the muscle.

(Andrew Borthwick)