|
BABY CONTROL |
|
|
Track
Listing |
|
Zoë Verkuylen (The Red Light Sting), Mark Colavecchia (North Of America), Dan Tompkins (Got To Get Got), and Chris Vanderlaan (Animal Names / Buzzing Bees) The pursuit for a contemporary definition of “punk” is stretched and incessant. While current splinters now imply a rigid set of sonic rules dictating a specific tempo, tone and simplicity, or, more perplexing, a chain store consumerist and mall rock slant, one can’t help but question if these modern variations in any way retain the spirit from which punk was birthed. Baby Control’s debut full-length, Best War, undeniably captures something along the lines of what punk spirit might have once meant to some, but considering the gray area in which the current definition resides, the parallels are relative. Perhaps it is the anxious and inspired energy with which the four piece plays. The recording is a testament to this; recorded over two days in an East Vancouver garage, one gets an immediate sense of the ferocity of the performance - the drums pound and ring in a way that can only be achieved with the hardest of hits, the vocals stress and distort like they were belted through a blown PA (which, it turns out, they were). Or maybe it’s the detailed yet raucous guitar work. Dan’s brilliantly precise technique juxtaposes Mark’s bending fuzz with unique character; the former displays an irrefutable talent while the latter tilts its hat to both Sonic Youth’s earlier work and sheer bombast. The combination is absolute. This is not to say that Baby Control is necessarily a punk band; in fact, the four members might deny the connection completely. Similarly, the music itself betrays punk's three-chord race to the finish and ventures into jangly, mid-tempo pop territory, occasionally adopting a blues swagger. Always dense with discord, the guitar and vocal lines still somehow infuse themselves with hooks. Despite the mish mash of influences, Best War sounds unquestionably focused and direct, a gorgeously flawed declaration from a band with a sharp, acidic purpose.
"Hard and riffy. Dirty and noisy. Baby Control, the newest band from Ache Records, venture into noise-punk with erratic guitar riffs crashing around them. Fronted by Zoe Verkuylen who wails, screams and occasionally sings, their songs contain only slightly more pop structure than Ache Records anti-music group, Winning. They piece together abrasive, crashing protests to pop music with just enough song structure to make the album pleasant to listen to. Spilling angry, erratic sounds out all over the floor, you’re left realizing this is exactly what you wanted–a mess of sound hitting you in the face. The four piece is unified best by what appears to be a barely controlled direction in the dynamic style of their musicianship. Just because Baby Control plays music that doesn’t sound much like the music you’d normally listen to does not mean they are not talented musicians. What do I know about you anyways? Maybe you listen to agressive noise-punk all day, everyday. Maybe you’re in the Mutators. That would explain it. Either way, you might notice similiarities between the two bands. "Addictively melodic and gloriously messy, Best War is as badass as it is charming."
- Exclaim "...a
Vancouver quartet that's blasting out some seriously sweet punk-pop
mayhem. They categorize themselves as "grunge" and their
influences section just says "Nirvana," but aside from their
general location and their obvious love for yelling and loud guitars,
there's not too much to tie them to the descriptor. Actually, the
boys playing the instruments sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in their
more Sonic Youth-y moments, and vocalist Zoe Verkuylen sounds closer
to Kathleen Hanna or Bratmobile's Allison Wolfe than any grunge chick
(even when the band is actually covering Nirvana)."
- Chicago Reader
"Characterizing
the debut full-length by this Vancouver/Seattle four-piece as "punk"
gets it only half-right: while this dark tale bristles with that genre's
belligerent energy, it also boasts the kind of dynamics that belie
the fact it was recorded in a garage. The sound quality and half-buried
vocals might reflect its origins, but pretty much everything else
betrays them. And we mean that in a good way."
- The Star |
|
