Good Listenin': Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

A friend of mine complained that I pick my favorites and don't do well promoting other bands coming to town. Truth is, there's no way I could cover it all, so excuse the generic press release, but here goes:

Baby 81, named after an infant admitted to the hospital in the wake of 2004’s tsunami who was claimed by nine different mothers until it found its way back to its own family, is an ambitious, powerful, emotional, guitar-driven rock n’ roll record that is guaranteed to get people jumping and thinking.

The opening track “Took Out a Loan” and the Led Zeppelin-style beat driving “666 Conducer,” were recorded at the tail end of Howl’s Los Angeles sessions. The first single, “Weapon of Choice,” a collaborative effort by the two songwriters, Peter Hayes and Robert Levon Been. It is an anthemic and jagged-riffed track that cleverly hides a wall of acoustic guitars behind electrics.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are appearing at the House of Blues on Sunday. Their new album Baby 81 was released this week. The Fratellis have canceled their support and the show is sold out, but they still merit a mention because the new album is a pleasure for old and new fans alike.