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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Take Them On, On Your Own
EMAILPRINTby Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 10 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Virgin
Release Date: 02 September 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The London-by-way-of-Los-Angeles-by-way-of-San Francisco rockers known as JAMC--er, make that BRMC--return with their second LP, which actually finds the group distancing themselves (at least a little) from the Jesus and Mary Chain-influenced sound of their debut.
Also By This Artist: Baby 81 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Howl
Also On The Web: BRMC @ Virgin Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
E! Online
The band's equally impressive second album grooves with both a Detroit hipster sound and some spacey atmosphere.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Where B.R.M.C. merely boiled, Take Them On is positively frothing. [#5, p.100]
No Ripcord
Anyone with any vague taste in good music needs to own this album, right now.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
'Take Them On, On Your Own' is a masterpiece. You should get hold of it as soon as possible.
Read Full Review >Filter
Even though it's more than good, you eventually find yourself thumbing through your CD piles in search of that first record. [#7, p.87]
Village Voice
The sheer mass of sound, the density, the volume, the elaborate little codas at the end of every song are designed to impress and certainly do.
Read Full Review >Launch.com
This is still an excellent band composed of three excellent musicians who can produce one hell of a noise.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
Take Them On... repeats the San Francisco trio's bombast, peppered with slower tunes styled after Jesus And Mary Chain's dewy psychedelia, the Verve's noise-drenched moments and even Ride's droning perfection. [Oct 2003, p.134]
Entertainment Weekly
Form largely trumps meaning here: Take Them is as well suited to making out or breaking the speed limit as soundtracking an antiwar rally. [5 Sep 2003, p.74]
Trouser Press
The slower numbers (“Ha Ha High Babe,” “Shade of Blue”) rely less on showy atmosphere and more on loose guitar accents, which makes the whole affair earthier, rawer, more real.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Powerful and anthemic, the trio's driving, Goth-forsaken rock can also be overwhelming and cloying. [Sep 2003, p.99]
Rolling Stone
Original it's not. But it still sounds awfully good while it's happening.
Read Full Review >Uncut
They run out of steam completely towards the end.... But there's still plenty here to justify giving up your heart to that simple chord all over again. [Sep 2003, p.110]
ShakingThrough.net
In streamlining the elements of B.R.M.C., it jettisons the wrong half of the equation, eschewing substance for angular, affected form.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Fortunately, there are a handful of transcendent moments to be found, provided you're willing to invest the time it takes to sniff them out-- which you should, since this is one of those records that matures with subsequent spins.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Take Them On, On Your Own is a good album, but some may be disappointed with just how much the band plays it safe.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
There's a lack of emotional intrigue or maverick charm here that keeps everything at a shrug-inducing distance. [Sep 2003, p.100]
The Guardian
Their no-surrender stance is admirable, but Black Rebel haven't a hope of leading the people's revolution because they are so self-consciously reverential, with each narcotic outburst owing its existence to the Pistols and the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Read Full Review >Outburn
BRMC continue on a predictable arc, borrowing heavily from Psychocandy-era Jesus & Mary Chain melodies, coked-up Rolling Stones licks, and My Bloody Valentine's production values. [#23, p.88]
Blender
The dark spaciousness that boosted BRMC's uneven 2001 debut is replaced with garage-rock fist pumpers, which are all catchy but cramped. [Sep 2003, p.119]
Playlouder
On a first listen it sounds very long. On a second listen it sounds just like the eponymous debut, with the odd anthem missing. On a third listen we have to concede there are some fine moments.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
A skull-numbingly dull record, utterly bereft of the anti-establishment rhetoric these boring fakers aspire to.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Karl Marx gave it a10:
A breath of fresh air, a Christian band that have stood up publicly and opposed George Bush. Anyway back to music, with its superbly dark instrumentals and challenging lyrics the album marks a deeply inspirational journey into The bands minds and thoughts in a way that impacts the listener. A true rarity in today's music.
Shireen H gave it a 10:
It's refereshing to hear some good come from the USA. There is still hope for the greed driven country. Looking forward to hear more and more music from BRMC.
joyce w gave it a 9:
I've never heard their first cd but after hearing "Take Them On..." I've got to go buy the first. They have got a dark sound that I love.
david s gave it an 8:
Superb dark rock
Justin A. gave it a 7:
Not quite as good as their first one. Nothing to equal Love Burns, Punk Song, or Spread your love. But a lot of good stuff nevertheless when they avoid sounding too much like the last album.
Rydia gave it a 9:
Say what you want, but you can never be neutral about this disc. If you're going to judge it based on the silly expectations of hearing the Jesus and Mary Chain over again, don't bother. The songs are all solid, exciting, and enough to keep them wedged in your brain all day and they have an amazing amount of quotibility.
