Glam Hard Rock from Sweden. Not exactly a musical direction that is very strange to that area, but I have to admit that this is a lot lighter than what I usually hear coming from Scandinavia. BAI BANG was erected in 2000, and "Sha Na Na Na" is their ninth album to date. So, you might say that they have been quite active during those years. It only has me wondering why I have never reviewed or even heard anything of theirs before this one. With the number of albums I used to have to listen to, it would have been an almost foregone conclusion that one of their efforts would have landed on my doormat. But it hasn't. the question I now have to ask is if I feel I have been short-changed.

I'm not really sure, to be exact. The reason for it is that if the music on "Sha Na Na Na" is what they have done all through their career, I think I would have become bored by them at some point. If, on the other hand, they have evolved into what they are today, it might have been fun to be part of that evolution. Believe it or not, "Sha Na Na Na" is rather a pleasant album to listen to. Very much an improved version of the hair metal band CINDERELLA, who I always felt lacked that bit of depth to be taken seriously. They were like a cup of very weak coffee. And even if the name doesn't suggest it, BAI BANG actually looks further, and doesn't only address light topics. No, they also write about anxieties. But most of all they are a fun band, and are justifiably proud of that fact.

What makes me like "Sha Na Na Na" even more is that from "Motivated" on there is another influence popping up it's rather pleasant head quite regularly. That would be mighty DEF LEPPARD, especially in the way some of the riffs and refrains are constructed. I would even go so far as to say that the working title of "Motivated" must have been "The Def Leppard Hysteria Song". No, they don't try to sound the same, they are a bit lighter than their peers, but not less entertaining. This is easy listening, bubble gum Glam Rock that will make you smile, dance and even sing or shout along, whichever comes closest for you. I don't think BAI BANG will mind which one it is, as long as you participate.