Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Berlin

Berlin sees BRMC getting back to where they belong - slick and fuzzy riffs snaking around endorphin-soaked vocals. This three-minute bluesy kick in the face is what they do best. The straight four rhythm slaps the song along to the dark chord fall that makes the chorus sound like PJ Harvey. You could mistake the verse for something off Primal Scream's XTRMNTR album, but BRMC have never been as varied as that. And they don't need to be. With sell-out shows all along the west coast of the US, it seems like the motor's purring along nicely. [Chris Bathgate]