They could take the US, take the world

I remember the year 2001. First time that I could somewhat say, in the words of James Murphy, ‘I was there’. Yes, there when The Strokes were still constantly drunk, The Hives had never thought of working with Timbaland and The Vines were loved by the NME (sure, I was in front of a TV, in my living-room, not backstage or something). And then there were these guys, BRMC in short.

To the 13 year-old me, they were a blast (21 year-old me can’t say things are any different). Fuckin’ orgasm. It was because of this band I first heard of Jesus and Mary Chain and Spacemen 3. And, of course, there was THE song.

“I fell in love with the sweet sensation
I gave my heart to a simple chord
I gave my soul to a new religion”.

Those layers, that build-up, that feedback in the end. Oh, I didn’t know these things then and it didn’t matter. I just turned the volume up loud and gently tapped my foot to the ground. It was all that mattered. It IS all that matters. In hindsight, the song is still a blast. Honestly, it should be in any top 50 best songs of all times.

But BRMC seem to me like such an underrated band. I personally know some people who like them, but no fans. As a Manics fan, I complain there are no Manics fans around but I know at least four and people in general keep talking about them. But there’s this silence around BRMC. A few years ago I would’ve said ‘Maybe it’s the country I live in’. But now we keep raving about how our indie scene is flourishing. And people know ‘indie’ bands and all the jazz …

So I guess it’s safe to say BRMC are still somewhat of a neglected band. When they shouldn't be! They make up for all the White Lies and La Roux’s of the world. And all they need to prove it is one song. The song I heard back in the day. ‘Whatever Happened To My Rock’n’roll’. And now, whenever I hear it (this and someother songs), I think about those days when so many things simply didn't matter. And about how I should already pick up that guitar and learn how to play it so I too could write tunes like this. Or at least try.