8.29.2006

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - Howl (2005)



BRMC, as they are known for short, formed in 1998, taking their name from Marlon Brando's motorcycle gang in the film The Wild One (1953).

On their first two records they played hard-driving punkish rock influenced by Iggy Pop And The Stooges, The Ramones, The Doors, Sex Pistols, and 1980s British acts like Spacemen 3 and especially The Jesus & Mary Chain. Their style also encompassed slower paced psychedelic dreamy grooves influenced by shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine and Ride. Recently, with their third record Howl, they developed a new sound somewhere between blues, folk, gospel and rock, but still with their old melancholy.

Caught up in the hype of the Music-press fuelled 'New Rock Revolution' which included The Strokes and Kings of Leon, the band quickly separated themselves from the others in both sound and image.

After conflict with the label, the band were dropped by Virgin Records in 2004, with Nick Jago leaving the band at the end of their summer tour of the same year due to 'internal conflict' (later revealed to be a drink and drug addiction problem) .

After Jago was thrown out, Hayes and Been posted at the Official Website that the doors are open for him to come back if he has solved his problems. The surviving members then regrouped and recorded their third album.

In 2005 the band signed to Echo in the UK, and RCA in the US, with Jago also returning. Their third album Howl was recently released to widespread critical acclaim. Jago returned after most of the album was recorded but plays on Track 7, "Promise".

They have confirmed that they have begun recording their New "Yet-To-Be-Titled" 4th album, which should be released in early 2007.

Possible influences of the band include the "beat" poet generation, particularly Allen Ginsberg. This is evident in their name, which is a string of apparently incompatible words that create a rough amalgamated concept rather than a contingent meaning, and by the title of their latest album, "Howl", which is the namesake of Ginsberg's most celebrated work.

BRMC - Howl

pass: mud

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not sure where your info is pulled from but its a bit off.

All of the members of BRMC had been using alcohol and drugs heavily for years. Hayes addcition is documented in "Dig". Inner conflict was ongoing and they got dropped by Virgin right before or after Coachella.

In addition BRMC had been auditioning new drummers in the LA area for a few weeks. The decision was mutual for his brief departure. Everybody neede to clean up or they were going to die.

Anonymous said...

Not sure where your info is pulled from but its a bit off.

All of the members of BRMC had been using alcohol and drugs heavily for years. Hayes addcition is documented in "Dig". Inner conflict was ongoing and they got dropped by Virgin right before or after Coachella.

In addition BRMC had been auditioning new drummers in the LA area for a few weeks. The decision was mutual for his brief departure. Everybody neede to clean up or they were going to die.

steve erwhen said...

hey anyone that rides cant be bad you guys get drunk for me and get out there and hug grandma love love hate the hate never never second rate