Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — Beat the Devil’s Tattoo

By Jayson Berray in Music on April 6th, 2010 | 1 comment

Release Date: March 9, 2010
Length: 65:07
Genre: Rock
Label: Abstract Dragon/Vagrant
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

With a name like “Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,” your band better kick butt pretty hard.

Initially, I found myself to be a bit disappointed with these guys’ music as a result of the expectation I felt was set by their name. I know that may sound silly based on the whole don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover notion, but again, with a band name like that, what do you expect?

That being said, I checked out their album “Baby 81” and wasn’t too impressed. I’ve really tried my best to give them a second chance with “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” and I’m medium-glad I didn’t give up based on that initial disappointment. These guys do seem to make fairly quality music. And after all, even though the name is probably the No. 1 contributing factor to a band’s image, is it the most important factor?

There is one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt: if I ever find myself lost in some remote bayou in Louisiana, I hope to heck that I have access to “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo,” because if I do, I’ll feel right at home.

I say this time and time again, but the main thing that always speaks to me with any given album is the emotion it conveys. “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” just has that raw, gritty feeling that makes you feel like you want to go on an excursion somewhere down south.

Even though I initially felt like I wasn’t getting those “kick butt” moments I yearned for at first, after really delving into this album I realized that they’re there, just not in the way I thought they would be. Take the song “Aya” for instance. It’s a slow-tempo song with not much going on besides a basic drum beat and chord progression. But the fuzzy bass guitar really gives off the feeling that this song should have been included on the soundtrack to the film “Black Snake Moan.” Also, the soaring chorus of this song definitely qualifies as a “kick butt” moment.

At around the 3:36 mark in the song “Shadow’s Keeper,” we experience another one of the album’s peak moments in the form of an abbreviated bass guitar solo leading into this several-minute build up of all the instruments towards the song’s end — this would be awesome to witness live.

Another high point from this album is the song “Sweet Feeling.” Nothing gets me like a well-placed harmonica. I could listen to a singer/guitarist play solo acoustic songs all day long if they include a good harmonica every now and then (think early Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album). This song is a great example of good harmonica use. I’m always of the opinion that use of a harmonica or lack thereof can make or break a song.

I will credit the BRMC guys where it’s due — they know how to end an album. Clocking in at a whopping 10:20, the album’s closing track “Half-State” is a fairly epic ride. The length of the track alone is enough to leave you feeling tired, but specifics like the pre-chorus hard rock jams make it that much better.

Something that can give an album potential is how well the songs would translate to live performance. With Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, especially with some of the songs on this album, I feel like they could put on a pretty rockin’ live show.

“Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” has the potential to grow on you over time. Parts of it are forgettable and represent garage-rock elements (“Conscience Killer”) we’ve heard numerous times before but then again, there are parts (see above) that really stand out. To put it quite simply, the album begins at probably its highest point with the title track and ends on a really solid note, but everything in the middle — while there are good moments — seems like kind of a blur.

While listening to this album I’ve realized that it’s possible for it to take months or even years for an album to grow on you to the point of you considering it a classic. I’m not saying that I consider this album to be a classic by any means (it’s definitely enjoyable) but who knows where my consideration of it could end up several months or even years down the road. It’s good enough to where it could stick for a while. But can it really stand the test of time?

While Black Rebel Motorcycle Club displays good efforts time and time again, I’m leaning towards no.

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