Black Rebel Motorcycle Club might just be the most misunderstood band in music. In a fit of dizzy excitement upon hearing that they planned to swing by Madison on their latest tour (The Annex, Sept. 16), I began to spread the news to anyone who would listen. I was both amused and fascinated by the variety of responses I got among those unfamiliar with the San Francisco-based trio. “Black who?” “Umm…is that a band?” I even got the classic, “They’re Jesus and Mary Chain wannabes” line as well as a puzzling “For some reason I thought they were a metal band” remark.

Even those a bit more familiar with BRMC seemed to hold on to some major misconceptions. The band’s reputation of being gloomy, depressive, us-against-the-world misanthrope rockers isn’t exactly unexpected based on superficial observation, but guitarist and singer Peter Hayes explained how reality paints a very different picture.

“I guess I got kind of misunderstood. I don’t much care about the dark, moody stuff. The misunderstanding that bugged me was that I guess we came across in our band that we were a holier-than-thou type thing, you know? It’s like, ‘We know the answers, so fuck everybody else.’ We’re pointing the finger at ourselves as much as anybody else.”

They’re rebels, certainly, but their sense of rebellion is unique in that its first and foremost focus is individual, intellectual revolt. “How am I going to live in a society [where the majority] seems to be concerned with things that I don’t want to be concerned with?” Hayes questioned. “It’s a type of religion. It’s controlling and it’s wrapped in government, wrapped in money. How am I going to live within that, you know what I mean? It’s hard to do. It’s never about pointing the finger at everybody else and thinking ‘You’re wrong.’ I’m wrong if I’m putting up with aspects of my life that I don’t actually have to put up with.”

So what’s the role of music in rebellion? “It’s salvation, but it can be used as a tool--a different road to take,” Hayes explained. “You can take the road of music and have it be just entertainment and a way to make money, or you can take the road that’s a lot more than that, plus those things. It’s not this narrow view of ‘We’re going to get what we can out of it.’ It’s more about giving. Salvation is giving.”

Some may be surprised to find that the source of the band’s frustration regarding the state of the world has much to do with the current level of creative output. “It’s more about culture, really. A lot of culture is being lost to, say, capitalism. There should be art,” Hayes declared.

BRMC’s latest contribution in that area is their much-celebrated fourth album, Baby 81, arguably their strongest work to date. Fans of their earlier shoegaze-influenced sound will be satisfied, as will those who discovered the band during the success of their 2005 roots/gospel release, Howl. “Weapon of Choice” is the explosive first single sure to inspire sing-alongs, especially during the flawless “I won’t waste my love on a nation” line. Politics are explored in great depth throughout the record, most notably on “American X”: “There’s nothing here that is left to be saved/Take a bow to the warrior state/You throw yourself to the perilous static/You shut your eyes but the death is romantic/You’ve sold your soul but it’s only a fake,” sings bassist/vocalist Robert Levon Been.

Anyone under the impression that a band with intelligent lyrical content automatically forfeits their sex appeal should take notes on “Berlin” immediately. BRMC have frequently been cited as personifying the “essence of cool,” (leather jackets and outrageously fabulous hair will do that to a band) but this track puts them in a completely different category altogether. Hayes’ gritty, gasping vocals, drummer Nick Jago’s driving stomp, and everything else in between make “Berlin” an exciting standout single. This is how sexy should be done.

The melodic and surprisingly buoyant “Not What You Wanted” is conceivably the closest the band has ever come to approaching pop music. “Took Out a Loan” has all the makings of a lost Led Zeppelin track, and “Need Some Air” is a razor-sharp aural assault, but the closing tune takes on a slightly different tone. “Am I Only” is a long overdue inclusion to a BRMC record, written when Hayes was still in his teens. Its delivery is the most delicate on the album, with dense layers of sound building to a climax as he sings, “You turn into a song/And everything feels wrong/There’s so much more to see/But lost is meant to be/Am I only, only one of you/Am I the lonely, only one of you.”

The band’s gift for creating startlingly powerful, poetic work is evident upon first listen, although Hayes argued with a self-deprecating laugh, “I can’t articulate hardly anything.” He went on to explain that sharing music with fans is what really gives him the most satisfaction. “It’s the people really. Being able to tour and play music…that’s the best part.”

It would seem that the release of Baby 81 represents yet another solid step on the ladder of success for BRMC, an idea that Hayes is modestly taking in stride. “We’re able to make music, and we’re able to tour. That’s all that we ask for right now—to be able to keep going. So far so good.”

The boys in black will be in town Sunday, September 16th to play their show at The Annex at 8:00 pm. Simple Kid opens the show.