Wrong Creatures

There is a seemingly pervasive belief, especially within the world of internet-based music reviewing, that re-invention is the only way for a band to be relevant or to have created an album worth listening to. Case in point Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, a band that have long sought to make music for themselves and on their own terms, a pattern that they have continued with 2018's 'Wrong Creatures'. The result? Their album has been critically panned, mostly because it sounds too much like, well, them. How dare they make an album that sounds like themselves, a sound that they have tweaked and cultivated over the past decades? How dare their definition of re-invention be rooted in subtlety and nuance as opposed to bold sweeping strokes, line-up changes, re-branding, artsy videos, and colourful clothing? Ugh. You millenials, er, young music reviewers are hard to please. Is the album genius? No. But is it still pretty damn good? Yes. Is it likely to make its fans happy? I assume so. Is it proof that the 'death of guitar rock' conversation is a self-serving, ridiculous bit of self-promotion for pop music and the exploding popularity of rap?