Stolen Babies - There Be Squabbles Ahead - review
Stolen Babies - There Be Squabbles Ahead - review
Tracklist
01. Spill!02. Awful Fall
03. Filistata
04. A Year Of Judges
05. So Close
06. Tablescrap
07. Swint? Or Slude?
08. Mind Your Eyes
09. Lifeless
10. Tall Tales
11. Push Button
12. Gathering Fingers
13. The Button Has Been Pushed
A review by
jupitreas November 02, 2007
Coming from the same label responsible for releasing the likes of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Ulver, Head Control System and Sigh, it is not surprising that the Stolen Babies are another band specializing in what is usually referred to as avant-garde metal. Initially drawing comparisons particularly to Mr. Bungle's debut LP, the Californian band also incorporates plenty of elements that make their sound unique. Therefore, to the Bungle-esque hybrid of carnival/circus sounds with all kinds of genre hopping and unpredictable songwriting, the band adds elements of (quasi-)black metal, Alice Cooper theatrics and goth sensibilities. The vocalist, Dominique Persi is not only talented but also obviously did her homework - her mixture of melodic, flirtatious singing and throat-ripping screams never seems forced or inappropriate. The rest of the band also performs well, with drummer Gil Sharone (currently also in Dillinger Escape Plan) being perhaps the most impressive. Most importantly, the band never fails to come up with innovative arrangements while keeping them within the confines of accessible and memorable songwriting, which allows for There Be Squabbles Ahead to be a fluid and cohesive album, regardless of all the crazy ideas that it contains.
Although all tracks here offer something interesting to the listener, among the highlights are the single-worthy "Push Button", the aggressive opener "Spill!", the anthemic "Tablescrap" and the haunting "Lifeless", the latter of which showcases Dominique's beautiful voice.
It is a shame that I didn't hear this album when it was first released since it is definitely one of the best releases of 2006. Everyone should hear it.
Comments
Comments:
13
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 Posts: 3139 |
Posts: 3139
I heard the band live, and not much of an impression was left. I have not heard of the band before the gig, and it was the first time hearing their music, the vocalists screams were good, other than that I can barely recall the songs. I should keep an open mind and check this CD out.
---- "Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died." Ser Jorah Mormont
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 Posts: 9726 |
Posts: 9726
Just got it, its so weird....yet great. My only problem with the album is the lyrics, some of them seem pretty lame to me, but the vocals are so great they make up for it.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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 Posts: 1698 |
Posts: 1698
This must be one of the weirdest albums I've heard. It's quite experimental from what I can tell... I've never heard something like that... I'm not sure if it's more metal than electro punk, but I guess it's nice and the most original record I've heard, although there are for sure more bands playing this music...
---- Bitch! Please
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Posts: 825  |
Posts: 825
Recently heared it, and wow, it's one of the catchier avant-garde metal albums out there, which is why they aren't usually so good: too much crazyness, not enough catchiness. This has both.
---- My account on other musical pages: http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/ http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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Posts: 1698 Written by Talvi on 20.02.2008 at 21:44 I told ya about em kurwa! If it ain't me you ain't be aware of em! Gimme some credit! xD
---- Bitch! Please
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 Posts: 1024 |
Posts: 1024
I like this album. Not a big fan of female vocals, but I like the way she "plays" with her voice. My fav songs are So Close (reminds me of an old nintendo-game), Tall Tales, Lifeless and Awful Fall.
---- www.miaregine.com Delirium and Delight
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Posts: 4920 Written by iaberis on 24.10.2008 at 05:47 And I knew it thanks to him, so I give you some  Great album indeed, avant garde metal is always interesting.
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Posts: 3857
After a year, I have come to the realization that this album is fucking genius. It has grown to be one of my favorites. :O
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Posts: 204  |
Posts: 204
I bought this album back in 2008. It's one of my favorites for sure. "Lifeless" is one of my very favorite songs. I'm super excited to see what their new one will be like.
---- Still Life, Still Death
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 Posts: 103 |
Posts: 103
One of a few good albums that i heard!!  AVAT-GARDE | ORIGINAL | CRAZZZY
---- .:Saratan:.
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