Reviewed by Tony Cummings

IN THE MAINSTREAM

Sooner or later Nashville's insular CCM scene will pick up on the fact that these guys - already with a major cult following and who recently opened for Oasis - are Christians. Then they will, no doubt, start claiming them as their own. Peter Hayes (vocals, guitar), Robert Turner (bass, vocals) and Nick Jago (drums) should be able to ignore such naïve maneuverings. If you're not a regular NME reader you might not know that Black Rebel Motorcycle Club began in 1998 out of the San Francisco club scene and plucked their name from the Marlon Brando movie The Wild One. Their music is a revelation, a dense mixture of ethereal rock and burning white noise psychadelia while Peter (the son of The Call's famed frontman Michael Been) is a profoundly affecting vocalist. Plenty of fine arrangements here, "Awake" features layer upon layer of guitars in a sound not dissimilar to Spiritualised. Another great cut is "Rifles", with an almost Stone Roses groove. If you are looking for lyrics which point to faith you'll find some of those too. On the moody and magnificent "White Palms" they ask the question, "Jesus, when are you going to come back?", while the closer "Salvation" you'll no doubt hear soon on Cross Rhythms radio.

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