ChristianWeek

I would like to go on record as saying that rock’n’roll is not dead. If you need proof—and I know how hard signs of life can be to find of late—check out Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC). Their 2005 album Howl, although more laid back than a rock recording normally should be, wonderfully evokes feelings of circa 1964 Animals or Rolling Stones, without sounding in any way dated.

May 1 marked the release of their newest CD, Baby 81, which is a solid recording in the rock tradition. There’s no screamo, no rap and no synthesised sounds. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn they only use the technology available and sounds dominant in the early ’70s. They fit so solidly into this tradition—guitar, bass and drums—that at various points I find myself thinking of The Doors and sometimes of Wilco, sometimes of The 77s, and sometimes of U2—oh, and throw in a little Neil Young guitar for good measure.

In 1953, Marlon Brando rode in The Wild One with a motorcycle gang of the same name. Lead singer Peter Hayes, Drummer Nick Jago and Robert Levon Been—a second-generation rocker, following in the footsteps of his father Michael Been (lead singer of The Call)—round up the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club trio.

Lyrically lacking

Even though I love Howl, I find Baby 81 even better musically. Lyrically, however, Baby 81 lacks the stronger Christian elements heard on its predecessor, such as the see-saw of “we know our Lord’s gonna meet us there/ we pray our Lord’s gonna meet us there...” ( “Devil’s Waitin’”) or the gentle confidence of “I will walk with Jesus ‘til I can’t go any more” (“Gospel Song”). Instead, on the new CD, they seem to only play along the edge of ideas.

For example, “Need Some Air” plays with para- dox reminiscent of Christ’s own irony of the Kingdom, but (even more ironically) remains hard to pin down.

“You wanna lift somethin’ up, you gotta pin it down/
You wanna pull somethin’ in, you gotta let it out/
You wanna light something up, you gotta burn it down/
I wanna feel the sun, I just need some air”

But are they Christian?

Would BRMC call themselves Christian? Peter Hayes says he grew up in a God-fearing family, but has a fear that their music will be labelled Christian rock. This is probably why they’ve toned things way back. Getting labelled as a Christian band, as opposed to a rock band of Christians, could be career poison to the current alternative music crowd; it gives too many people images of Amy Grant or self-righteous preachers toting guitars.

In the ’80s The Call also sought to walk the fine line between majorlabel stardom and connection with the Christian community. In those days, crossover was usually more dream than reality, so caution was all one-sided. When Electra Records shipped The Call’s Reconciled to Christian radio back in 1986, they included a copy of the Apostles’ Creed to convince programmers of the integrity behind their single “I Still Believe.” Don’t expect such declarations from BRMC.

What do you hear?

In “American X,” most listeners are able to hear what they want to hear. Hayes sings, “There’s nothing left ‘til you pray for salvation,” but the “you” could equally be thought of as the listener or some deluded character. You’ll find other spiritual concepts slipping in such as, “I’ll see you through to the afterlife” in the anti-war song “Weapon Of Choice,” the album’s first single. The song declares, “There is no weapon to free us all,” something most listeners will agree with.

What you’ll most typically find is angst-filled songs of troubled relationships, such as in the opening track: “I took out a loan on my empty heart, babe/ I took out a loan for my patient soul/ And I feel alive as long as I don’t need you/ And I feel alive as long as I keep hold.” These are the sort of struggles that a wide audience will find truth in—even at this level it is good for believers to be the purveyors of truth.

D.S. Martin is a Canadian poet and writer. His poetry chapbook So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed (Rubicon Press) is now available from www.dsmartin.ca and www.rubiconpress.org.