Baby 81

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'Baby 81' is an ambitious, powerful, guitar-driven rock'n'roll record that's guaranteed to get people jumping and thinking. Although sonically it's a far cry from 2005's rootsy, acoustic 'Howl', 'Baby 81' was born only minutes after the final track on 'Howl' was completed, when Peter Hayes (guitars/vocals) and Robert Levon Been (bass/vocals/keys) were rejoined in the studio by drummer Nick Jago after a brief break up earlier that year.

There's plenty on 'Baby 81' to get inspired by: the chunky riff that launches opener 'Took Out a Loan'; the massive, Led Zeppelin-style beat propelling '666 Conducer', the woozy, piano-led 'Window', or the gorgeous symphonic drone of 'All You Do Is Talk'. But most surprisingly is how the album somehow ties in all 3 of their previous efforts, while still managing to take a leap forward. The highlights include anthemic first single 'Weapon of Choice', a powerful collaboration with a sound comparable to 'Love Burns', the album's most upbeat tune, the melodic 'Not What You Wanted', and 'American X', a sprawling rocker that clocks in at exactly nine minutes and eleven seconds — by coincidence.