Sometimes it's all about gaining leverage and momentum. Wisely, Sweden's
Babylon Bombs have acted quickly to build on the positive critical reaction to last year's debut album
'Cracked, Bruised & Wide Open'. Putting aside the title's crude sexual innuendo, it was a decent debut.
Looking like they should be on Perris Records, but sounding like a fistful of dollars has been spent on their production budget, it would be nice to say that the
Babylon Bombs have put an interesting European slant on the whole post-grunge glitz and glam rock'n'roll scene, like those other BBs, the Backyard Babies, but they don't. Anyone looking for originality or diversity on
'Doin You Nasty' will be sorely disappointed.
But that doesn't make it a bad album. Clearly influenced by eighties' US glam/sleaze rock icons, Poison, LA Guns and Cinderella, the music of the
Babylon Bombs radiates an insouciant charm, then shrugs it shoulders with a take it or leave it attitude.
Given their influences, all the appropriate ingredients are there - gang vocals, trashy/flashy guitars and song titles like
'Starstruck',
'Moonshine Beat' and
'White Trash Beauty' - all skilfully assembled and all showing a degree of imagination in the production and the arrangements. The songs too are a lot stronger on
'Doin' You Nasty', and the band seem much more certain of their direction.
Vocalist/guitarist Dani mostly eschews those shouty, snarly vocals often favoured in this genre, opting mainly for an orthodox vocal delivery on understated yet impressive openers 'Jaded Heart' and 'Louder'.
Where the Backyard babies put a sharp, punk rock spin on their brand of sleaze rock, the
Babylon Bombs employ loose limbed, steel guitars, and rock of a bluesy hue (the observant will spot a few nods of the head to Led Zep) on songs like 'Crack Of Dawn' and 'Slip Away'.
In addition, there're enough explosive, frenzied rock songs -
'Let It Loose',
'Hometown Hero' - to satisfy the most cynical listener.
One to watch.
Written by
Brian Wednesday, April 19, 2006
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