Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — Beat The Devil's Tattoo

After stumbling through their last two mediocre studio albums, Beat The Devil's Tattoo shows Black Rebel Motorcycle Club aren't ready to accept the pink slip just yet.

It's almost as if the band kept this record in their back pocket through some sleight-of-hand trick. Perhaps it's a coincidence that Beat The Devil's Tattoo was saved for a time when BRMC were free to release records on their own Abstract Dragon imprint. Perhaps not.

Returning to the same Philadelphia basement where 2005's Howl was written, BRMC kept their heads down and crafted a wonderfully sweet and fuzzy piece of art. Blues, country and New York garage rock all make cameos and they're welcome additions to the party.

The Beck-esque guitar twang of the opening title track instantly pulls you in. Riff-heavy numbers "Conscience Killer" and "Mama Taught Me Better" show us BRMC are still better than bands like Wolfmother and King Of Leon at meshing grimy basslines with reverb-soaked guitar wails.

Even sleepy jams like "War Machine" and "Sweet Feeling" stand out. Experimentation has always been a part of BRMC's mandate and these tracks have enough layered echos and industrial noise to take you on a pretty mind-bending journey.

Unfortunately, at 13 songs (including several that reach the five- and- six-minute mark) the disc starts to feel a bit long.

Much like their recent live shows, you'll wish someone would just walk onstage and pull the plug a few cuts earlier. Closing tracks "Long Way Down" and "Half-State" become redundant and you realize the fuse that lit your interest at the beginning is slowly dying out instead of igniting the bomb.

Length aside, Beat The Devil's Tattoo is welcome return to the rollicking licks, neo-psychedelics and stripped-down acoustics that made Howl a great album.

Black Rebel Motorcycle are no longer the hippest kids in school, but the young punks can still learn a thing or two from them.

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