Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Specter At The Feast"

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is set to release their sixth album, Specter At The Feast, as a split release with their own Abstract Dragon imprint and Vagrant Records today.  The highly-anticipated album was a difficult one to make after the loss of bassist Robert Levon Been’s father, Michael Been, who was a member of the 80’s band The Call and was also B.R.M.C.’s live sound engineer.  The resulting album though, is probably their most personal and strongest collection of songs yet. 

“Firewalker” opens the album with some ominous guitar ambiance and droning organ before a lurching fuzz-fueled bass line propels the song forward, setting the tone.  Next, as a touching tribute to Michael Been, they cover The Call’s “Let The Day Begin”, putting their own unique, rumbling and cathartic spin on the track as their first single.  “Returning” stands out with tumbling drums and a soaring and sentimental chorus.  As a change of pace, “Lullaby” features some folk-inspired acoustic guitars and ethereal vocal harmonies.  “Hate The Taste” brings out the band’s blues rock swagger with snaking guitar melodies and an upbeat, almost danceable rhythm.  Another standout track, “Rival” follows with an anthemic chorus and a fiery psych-rock explosion for the album’s hardest rocking moment.  Keeping in that same vein, “Teenage Disease” is a howling noise-addled punk rock anthem with buzzing guitars that proves the band has not lost any of its fire, even after fifteen years.  “Some Kind Of Ghost” slows it back down with some oscillating organ and bluesy acoustic guitar figures that bleed into the Gospel-drenched “Sometimes The Light” with its rafters-reaching organ swells and sweeping melodies for a nice mid-album comedown.  “Funny Games” is built on an elastic bass riff and echoing vocals that explode into an arena-worthy chorus.  The 12-track album closes out with the one-two punch of the moody and noisy “Sell It” and the introspective “Lose Yourself”.

With heavy hearts, Specter At The Feast was a cathartic release for the band and is living proof of the therapeutic power that music has for both the creator and the listener.    

Download a free 3-song EP that includes the first single, “Let The Day Begin” here: http://blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com/letthedaybegin/

For more info: http://blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com and www.vagrant.com