Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Rock band lesson 101: If you are in a rock band, and your drummer develops a drug problem, you do the following:
a) fire him
b) record an album without any percussion to stick it to him
c) let him stay in the band
d) all of the above

Answer: D, all of the above.

If you are Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Peter Hayes and Robert Turner, apparently parting ways with drummer Nick Jago not only resolved an overly dramatic situation, but inspired them to record an almost entirely acoustic record (with minimal contributions from Jago, who's since been rehired).

BRMC's third release, Howl, is a dramatic departure from the band's signature fuzz-heavy, Jesus & Mary Chain-inspired rock. Heavy layers of bleeding distortion have been replaced by the stripped-down sounds of steel-string guitars and (gasp) harmonica. Opening track "Shuffle Your Feet" begins with a gospel chorus and quickly turns into a rustic romp. "Complicated Situation" and "Restless Sinner" unabashedly channel Dylan and Cash respectively, but that was bound to happen on an album like this. The title track is the closest Hayes and Turner get to echoing their previous two releases, while the album ultimately bottoms out on the horn-backed track "Promise" (rock band lesson 102: unless your band has lonely hearts in it, stay away the hell away from trombones).

Judged against the current backdrop of one-hit, disposable garage-rock and neo-new-wave bands, Howl should maintain considerable staying power, albeit with more tempered hipster enthusiasm. Hell, the timing even seems right to release a low-fi, alt-country album -- Loretta Lynn is a household name once again, the South has won the white house twice, and Willie Nelson still looks good in overalls. As much musical growth and promise as this album illustrates, there is still the disappointing notion that we are still several years away from the next real Black Rebel Motorcycle album. Whatever happened to my rock 'n' roll? - Bill Packer

Since the release of Take Them On, On Your Own in 2003, things were tumultuous for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They were unceremoniously dropped by Virgin in a cloud of bad feeling. They lost their drummer. They bounced back and signed with RCA. They welcomed back their drummer. Somewhere in the middle of all this they completely revamped their sound. In fact, their first record for RCA, 2005's Howl, sounds like the work of an entirely different group. Gone are the insistent tempos, the snarling vocals, and the sheets of guitar noise. Gone is the hostile and often belligerent pose of the first two albums. Gone is the influence of noise rock bands like the Velvet Underground and the Jesus and Mary Chain. The band has embraced classic American music, namely country, blues, and gospel. It's dramatically expanded its sound to the point where you wonder if the albums that preceded this were some kind of reductionist prank. The band has a light touch and sense of drama and arrangement here that seems to have come out of the blue. (Check the credit to T-Bone Burnett for "additional recording assistance" for a clue, though.) In fact, the first thing you hear on the album is enough to have you checking to make sure the disc isn't defective: the multi-tracked vocals of Peter Hayes and Robert Levon Been emulating a gospel choir at the beginning of "Shuffle Your Feet," a rollicking slice of front-porch country complete with strumming acoustic guitars, harmonica, handclaps, and slide. It's no fluke because for the most part the album that follows is built on similarly relaxed, acoustic, and loose underpinnings. Tracks like "Still Suspicion Holds You Tight," "Devil's Waiting" (which features the return of the multi-tracked choir), and "Complicated Situation" have a lightness and ease that they previously could never have achieved. Other songs benefit from the expansion of sound too: "Weight of the World" has an epic, reaching-for-the-stars feel not a million miles from Coldplay and their followers (though it has more gritty soul than that), while "Howl"'s fuzz chamber sound is the closest thing to their previous work, but the circus organ, sleigh bells, and dynamics give the song color where it would have been shades of gray. On these songs and elsewhere the vocals are much more a part of the sound now as they are more upfront and impassioned. Both Hayes and Been have fine voices that are well suited to their new direction, sincere and gritty but never strained. Along with a new sound BRMC seem to have found religion too, as nearly half the songs revolve around God, the Devil, sin, and salvation. "Restless Sinner" and "Gospel Song" (which shows that the band hasn't completely abandoned its old influences, as the song is filtered closely through Spaceman 3's interpretation of gospel) are the most obvious manifestation of this new focus, but much of the record has the exuberance and weight of a band wrestling with heavy emotions. Well, that but without being quite as boring as it sounds. Of course, boredom is relative and by the end of the record you may find yourself wondering whatever happened to your rock & roll. You may feel betrayed by their sudden shift away from noise and danger, confused by the sudden change from a band of sulky post-teens with sex and danger on their minds to questioning (though still young) adults looking for salvation. Understandable, no question. If you want your rock dirty, loud, and dangerous (though BRMC were only halfway believable when that was their image), you had better look somewhere else. If you want it thoughtful and passionate but still alive and realistic, then give Howl a chance. BRMC have grown up and grown interesting. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide