Released 15th June 2009, Shangri-La Records

Amazing Baby have been sailing along on a wave of hype for a while now.  Originally coming into the consciousness last year with the release of their Infinite Fuckng Cross E.P, they were immediately lumped in with the MGMT/ Empire Of The Sun psych rock crowd; an association, if you take a look at their website and Myspace page,  that they have done little to distance themselves from.  The fact they are also from Brooklyn, as are messrs Van Wyngarden and Goldwasser,meant the comparisons were free-flowing and there was a general hope that ‘Baby would replicate some of the success of their East Coast cousins.

 Unfortunately this seems unlikely, primarily because Rewild while being not a bad album, doesn’t have a ‘Time To Pretend’, an ‘Electric Feel’ or a ‘Kids.’  MGMT’s success was built on those three stunning singles, songs that appealed to the hip crowd, the pop crowd and the Birkenstock massive; the fact that the of rest Oracular Spectacular is, with hindsight, pretty average is by the by.

 But lets leave the lazy comparisons to the side for a moment, and look at what Rewild does have.  Two great tunes bookend the album.  Opener ‘Bayonets’ (a triumph live), is a fun chunk of 60’s pop, with its liberal use of the word ‘baby’, and chant-a-long chorus of ‘the kids are alright.’  Released as a single already, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it re-released towards the end of the year, and with its slow feedback fade into track two (‘Invisible Place’) and that songs subsequent epic, James Bond style guitar licks, the album is set up well.  Kudos to the producer (the wonderfully named Claudius Mittendorfer).

 Final song ‘Pump Yr Breaks’ is a real highlight, perhaps the best song on the album.  Its the sound of Kasabian and Guns n’ Roses partying together, with Shaun Ryder lurking around in the background handing out mints and speed.  A consistent unrelenting drumbeat carries it along throughout, with some classic 80’s riffage that would fit snugly into a packed stadium, whilst the Meighan-esque refrain of ‘baby/oh-oh-oh-oh’ are a voyage back to baggy, minus the shit t-shirts.

Elsewhere the vocals are not as strong (sound-wise) and, as in ‘Kankra’, can get lost in amongst the haze of duelling guitars and pounding drums.  The affected echo, whilst working on the lighters-up ‘Old Tricks In Hell’, means they sometimes don’t get through the melee, and one wonders if a bit more sunshine on these tracks might have made them a more enjoyable and listenable experience 

Then again, the vocal affect works again on ‘The Narwhal’, a George Harrison inspired  number with a dark soul and lyrics referring to ‘witches coming down’.  Its got a delicious sense of dread, and though built around the relatively simple premise of an ‘ah ah-ah-ah-ah’ vocal manages to be both atmospheric and a party tune.

Unfortunately, next track ‘Roverfrenz’ is a complete throwaway, though ‘Smoke Bros’ does crank it up  again with some crashing guitar, before losing the plot with a nonsensical chorus of ‘she protects her animals/S.M.O.K cannibals/she protects her animals/We are starving cannibals/We are staving cannibals/she protects her animals/we are starving cannibals/S.M.O.K animals’.  The soft trumpets at the end do save it a little though.

There are other highlights, notably single ‘Headdress’  and ‘Dead Light’, but unfortunately the four or five pretty good songs don’t quite make up for the rest which are generally okay, without inspiring too much excitement. 

It would seem unlikely that ‘Baby are going to replicate the success of their Brooklyn pals because, despite Rewild being pretty steady all the way through, there just aren’t enough highlights to elevate this into must-have status.  Their live shows, where they exhibit considerable charisma and monster whig-outs, are well worth catching though so do try and see them over the summer.

        

      

Posted In Album Reviews, Jun 09 2009. Words - David