Baby 81
4 stars
The opening notes of the first track, “Took Out a Loan,” provide the first hint that the old BRMC is back. The bluesy, ballsy Stone Roses riff turns on its heel into a thunderous, electric smash-up with a cocky strut and a knowing sneer, and the hootenanny days suddenly seem so distant.
It’s probably no coincidence that when drummer and founding member Nick Jago left the band after two albums, the sonic foundation of the band was thrust in a new direction. The result was 2005’s Howl, with its shiny acoustic chords, shimmering harmonies, harmonicas and hand claps and a rootsy, gospel feel that was more revival tent than back-alley dive bar. And longtime fans were left scratching their heads, wondering where this was all headed.
Not to worry. With Jago back in the fold on Baby 81, the BRMC sound is back to its more familiar dark and muscular origins, but with some of the Howl effects on-hand to provide texture and soften the rough edges. Piano and organ lend a more mature feel to songs like the Britpop-tinged “Window” and the spacey “All You Do is Talk,” but Peter Hayes’ guitars still wail throughout, Robert Levon Been’s bass thumps with abandon, and Jago pounds out a beat that heralds the return of the San Francisco trio with its most satisfying effort to date.