B.R.M.C.

1	Love Burns 4:05
2	Red Eyes and Tears 4:00
3	Whatever Happened to My Rock 'N Roll 4:38
4	Awake 6:12
5	White Palms 4:55
6	As Sure as the Sun 7:27
7	Rifles 5:29
8	Too Real 4:55
9	Spread Your Love 3:45
10	Head up High 5:35
11	Salvation 6:06

Barnes & Noble

Don't hate B.R.M.C. because they look good and sound better. In fact, don't hate them at all; it's not their fault if they've done their post-punk research, studying the glories of thunderous, bottom-heavy psychedelia like a trio of super-groovy Pointdexters. What these studious San Franciscans have emerged with is some of the most potent rock of 2001. There are echoes of Jesus and Mary Chain's psycho-candy melodies ("Love Burns"), clangorous moments that recall My Bloody Valentine's glorious chaos 'n' groove (the brilliant "Too Real"), and dense, two-ton bass lines hauled in from rock's heaviest practitioners. But even at their most egregious -- the "Spread Your Love" reference to the sinister boogie riff of "Spirit in the Sky," Jim Morrison's raving vocals on "L.A. Woman," and more -- B.M.R.C. recycle (hey, their name is lifted from The Wild One) sounds with an ear for creation, allowing them to write new songs that shimmer, shake, and throb. With this debut, they don't reinvent the wheel, but they make it spin a little faster and gleam a little brighter. Seth Kaufman

All Music Guide

This L.A.-based band (originally hailing from San Francisco) came along just when they were needed most. This self-produced major-label debut boldly plunders a reverb-and-white noise course previously trampled underfoot by long-gone British bands of the late '80s and early '90s (the Jesus & Mary Chain, the Verve, Ride, the Stone Roses, etc.). It all sounds very British, on many levels, despite the fact that only one band member is an Englishman living in exile in the States. On some songs, however, the driving, over-amped guitars (often buzzing with "VU needles-in-red"-type feedback) and pounding drums have a swaggering primeval feel that rivals solid Detroit rock outfits, both old and new (including the Stooges and the Go, to name two). A few have dark, introspective lyrics, with subjects like impending death ("Rifles" at their heart, while others have a positive, more uplifting feel (cf. "Salvation"), but it's really the group's cohesive, solid production overall that captures a shoegazing, blustery rock vibe not heard for nearly a decade or more. Highlights abound on this astonishing disc, including the bitter opening salvo, "Love Burns," the diaphanous space pop of "Too Real," and the flurry of sawtooth guitar scree that is "Whatever Happened to My Rock n' Roll (Punk Song)," a track recalling the manic intensity of the Stooges circa Fun House. Bryan Thomas