Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

BY DAN FEDER

Its music, though, falls into neither category, nor any category at all, really. The one-size-fits-all labels that critics use to pigeonhole bands fall flat when a group manages to defy characterization, and that's often a plus. BRMC is not, however, doing anything radically new. Their moody, feedback-drenched music is both frustratingly obtuse and engagingly catchy, and while these guys definitely have an ear for the past, the album strives to break ground at every turn.

In some respects, the band succeeds. Songs like "Red Eyes and Tears" match swooning love lyrics with crunching, heavy guitars, while "Rifles" incorporates Pink Floyd-esque atmospheric noise and appropriately trippy lyrics. It sounds original, but somehow you get the feeling that you've heard it before—maybe on a Pink Floyd album.

Lyrically, the number of Jesus references on the album might convince you that this band actually does agree with Dave; fortunately, BRMC's spirituality seems to be displayed more for lyrical clarity than for preaching. For each blatantly religious song like "Salvation," there's an exploration of existential questions, as in "Too Real."

Ultimately, the album suffers from a lack of focus. BRMC tries to be so different that it ends up being dissimilar to itself, with punk after pop after lo-fi after prog-rock. While it's admirable that the album was "produced, written and performed by BRMC," it might have been smart for the band to get guidance. BRMC has potential—the group just needs to figure out what it wants to be. (Virgin) 

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