“I Had the Blues but I Shook Them Loose” (2009) – Bombay Bicycle Club

Although Bombay Bicycle Club (BBC) are three albums and eleven singles into their career, I ask you this, can you picture their twenty-three year old youthful faces? Have you ever even heard the name Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Ed Nash, or Suren de Saram? No? Well, don’t get too depressed, it’s okay (just don’t do it again). BBC’s record sales have never been legendary, and their singles have not sky rocketed up the hit lists. But, consistently selling out 10,000 seat venues, BBC have become well known for their riotesque, verging on hyperactive, live performances. They also won Best New Band at the 2010 New Music Express awards, beating out now giants like The XX and Mumford and Sons. The two tracks below may get you to say “Ohhhhh, thats them”! “Shuffle” is the most recent hit (2011, reaching #64 on the UK charts) but it did not climb as high as “Ivy & Gold” (2010, reaching #56).

“I HAD THE BLUES BUT I SHOOK THEM LOOSE” (2009) Island Records

The basic beginnings to this album with the track “Morning Contraception Blues” is fortunately not a accurate representation of the rest of the album. After almost a minute and a half of relentless guitar hammering, having the “it might be fun at a concert but not on an album” feel, the opener slides effortlessly into the first real track “Lamplight”. “Lamplight”, although not the best tune on the album, is a perfect example of what to expect from Bombay Bicycle Club’s first full album. We immediately hear Suren de Saram’s (yes, that IS his name) tight drumming, the soft shoegazy chords from Jaime MacColl’s guitar, and the flowing bass from Ed Nash. The smooth bendy notes from Jack Steadman’s guitar kick in, and finally his somewhat nasally, but clear, fresh, and somehow beautiful voice wraps it all up into a nice package deal. “Lamplight” also may surprise you, as will a couple of the other tracks such as “Ghost” and “Magnet” with their “take it down a notch” outros. Here, Steadman’s (who also does most of the writing for BBC) solo influence is obvious. Check out his stuff on YouTube, especially “Cheating” to see the similarity. Here, I’ll make it easier for you:

The alternative rock album stays strong with a perfect mix of nineties rock and indie folk rock. Those of you who grew up with The Wallflowers and Weeezer, and now take a bit of MGMT in your Modest Mouse, this album is for you! Strong tracks such as “Dust on the Ground”, “Always Like This” and “Cancel on Me” make for a killer album start, but in “Autumn” and “The Hill”, Steadman’s voice takes a back seat to the pounding guitar and drums and my interest wavers. But, “What If” brings me back as it jumps around from punchy power chords to rhythmic picking structures. The chorus is a bit overwhelming but is saved by the catchy inflections in Steadman’s voice. The closing track “Giantess” seems to be getting you prepared for BBC’s next album (although they hadn’t written it yet so that is not technically possible). The song’s acoustic picking and drum machine changes things up drastically. Seemingly out of place at first, “Giantess” does well to explain all the other seemingly out of place outros and jams. It is needed for the album’s coherence.

The fantastic Rdio provides the playlist for the album here:
http://www.rdio.com/artist/Bombay_Bicycle_Club/album/I_Had_The_Blues_But_I_Shook_Them_Loose/

Favorite Song: Ghost

Favorite Segment: 2:22-3:15 “Lamplight”