Bai Bang
All Around the World

Bai Bang are back, this time they are all around the world. I have a lot of backstory of the band and their name in prior reviews, meaning that I do not want to write anything about it again so if you are interested in the past click the links to the left. I have heard two albums by this band before so this is the third Bai Bang album that finds its way to my ears and it wasn’t without some expectations that I took to listening to this album. Sure, the variation between the two prior hadn’t been much and they do play in a genre that is inherently difficult of vary but still, the two albums before this one was great so why not this one? It is after all their eighth studio album so they do have a lot of experience to lean back on, but then again, so do many dull repetitive bands out there.

And they do step in the same footsteps as before and had I randomised the tracks from the three albums I have gotten promo copies of I am not sure I could just hear the track and pinpoint which album it is from, it would be like for an american to pinpoint Sweden on a map, almost impossible. It is the same pop-rocking, party styled music with catchy choruses and loads and loads of energy. The production is more or less identical to the earlier album and the playing time is as well, almost like they made carbon copies when writing the previous albums and then rewrote some parts and wrote new lyrics. One could say that if you know the band from before you know what you will get on this album.

I think that no matter what kind of person you are, you will enjoy this album as it is very catchy and very good. The question is how much you will like it. This depends on wether or not you like things the same or if you like things to evolve, or if you haven’t heard the band before. If you are a fan of AC/DC, Iron Maiden or similar, then you are afraid of change and then you will enjoy this because it is exactly what you expect from Bai Bang. Someone who haven’t heard the band before will also find this very entertaining while the more seasoned music consumer or critic will be a bit disappointed because it sounds like before. Are they copying themselves? or is it just déjà vu? but that would mean that they changed something in the Matrix, is Smith behind me? who’s sunglasses is this? Anyway, I think I got a bit sidetracked there, what white rabbit?

After taking the blue pill, I can conclude that this is a good album. I do not however think that it is as good as the two that came before as all good songs, except for the brilliant opener Everbody Everywhere, makes me think of specific songs from either Are You Ready or Livin’ My Dream. That make me a bit ambivalent about this album but as it is not as good as the two before, I simply give it a somewhat lower rating and say that it is a good album. I do however think that the band copying themselves has a bit of a detrimental effect on any new material they do, it will just become less and less exciting if they keep it up.

I think I lost myself somewhere in all the similarities and maybe I lost you the reader as well but the bottom line is that this is a very predictable album and if you like to know what you will get, GFY. If you don’t, you’ll probably still be amused with this album but will also bore quite quickly.

HHHHHHH