Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Todays album is a self made compilation that I put together around 2002. Its features the work of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, BRMC. There was considerable fuss surrounding the band around that time and I wanted to effectively see what the fuss was about. I shouldn’t have bothered.
I am trying to be objective here, and as far as the songs are concerned they are good songwriters, the problem with BRMC is that they are extremely derivative and wear their influences for all to show, and this is what distracts me.
Distracts is a bit light, I was actually sitting in the car and didn’t know if I was enjoying the 17 tracks that I put on the CD, 17 tracks and it covers their early period of Spread Your Love, Red Eyes and Tears, Love Burns etc. I just didn’t know, I could hear that they had good tunes but I think the way they were presented made me think otherwise. The Verve, Jesus and Mary Chain and Big Star all feature incredibly heavy and it’s a combination that grates. Particularly the JAMC influence, I don’t really like the band and so another band so blatantly influenced by them isn’t going to get my seal of approval.
BRMC, like Jet and The Datsuns came about off the back of The Strokes and were at the forefront of what the NME called the New Rock Revolution. It was effectively watered down garage rock for the young set. I do however know people that loved all that and they hadn’t been part of the young set for some time. So maybe its me missing the point, maybe its my ears that are wrong, maybe BRMC were/are good and its me that doesn’t get them. Perhaps if I get past the heavy worn influences and listen to the songwriting I will appreciate them all the more? Maybe, or maybe I will pop this compilation in the bin on my way home and recycle the jewel case. 1 out of 10



Spread Your Love by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club