CD of The Week

2010 was a big year for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with the release of Beat the Devil’s Tattoo and one of their biggest tours yet, with over 100 shows. They were also dealt a huge blow with the passing of Robert Levon Been’s father, Michael Been (former frontman of The Call), who was a big supporter of the band, recording their last album, and working with them on tour. The world seems to have stopped completely for them until recently, when they were called upon by Dave Grohl to be featured in his documentary Sound City, for which they recorded a new song called “Heaven and All.” Subsequently, they were invited to return to the studio to work on recording their own new material, which finally comes to us in the form of Specter At The Feast (borrowing from the pages of Shakespeare’s Macbeth for the title).

The album progresses as one complete machine full of both somber and more upbeat material. It was clearly intended as one piece, to be listened to from beginning to end (and it even loops, ending with the same intense chimes it began with). Just in time for the feast to begin, one of the strongest songs on the album, “Fire Walker,” opens with a dramatic build of smoky, raw guitars and vocals. The band then adds their own touch to The Call's ”Let the Day Begin.” They’ve incorporated some incredible effects and sound sequences for many of the song transitions, which you don’t realize are there until they’ve exposed them. It adds a completely different element and acts as that cohesive medium throughout the album that holds it together. While the overall tone is very serious, they’ve incorporated plenty of that fast, beat-driven rock they’re known for, like with “Rival,” “Hate the Taste” and “Teenage Disease.” And even though BRMC are great at rocking out, they’re equally great at giving you those softer, misty ballads that feel so intimate and bare, like with “Lullaby,” “Lose Yourself” and “Some Kind Of Ghost.” This is BRMC opening up and fully expressing everything they’ve been through these past few years. It’s good to have them back. Rock out with them at The TLAon May 5th.