When I close my eyes and listen to Baby Monster’s recently released self-titled album, I dream that I’m delivering an actual monster-baby that spawned from Passion Pit, Miike Snow, and Animal Collective.
Although Baby Monster may resemble these other artists with their looks, they seem to have quite different genetic make up which distinguishes them and cuts that umbilical cord. However, the unavoidable fact stands that if you don’t like the genre, Baby Monster will probably drop some date rape in your drink and your knees may weaken for them. What am I trying to say? In a nutshell, you’re not going to escape this fun sounding music, and it’s possible that you will swoon over Marty and Danny’s little monster creation just as I did.
From the initial track on this album, “The Fear of Charlie Sunrise,” to its closer, “Forms,” there’s just a wonderful mesh of noise. There’s a bunch of frolicking cosmic synths, blasting electro beats for your feet to stomp out to, addicting melodies that plant themselves in your hippocampus, and of course Marty’s voice that gently soars over it all like a fallen leaf picking up distance in the wind.
All the songs play out differently and dance along the outer skirts of your eardrum in their own unique way. “Mr. Success” is a calming and chill tune that has an 80’s synth feel to it. There’s a humming that follows his voice throughout the entirety of the song and it’s pretty magical. Right after the slow roll out to this song, the single off the album and their last released EP, She Comes Alive, explodes in your speakers. This is where you say, “Oh, this kinda sounds like Animal Collective.” It’s a fun dancey song where Marty’s voice is reverbed and doubled…maybe tripled…to sound extra trippy.
And, if we’re going to talk about trippy songs on the album, “Russian Lights” is definitely in that category as well. There’s a slight delay on his voice and the melody line rides slowly up and then descends downward as if you were on a kiddie rollercoaster at night and consumed by the carnival lights around you.
“Curses” and “Kalookan Queen” have a dubstep kinda sound to them, which is a nice transition from the subsiding wave of songs previous to them. They build up and breakdown in that sort of intense manner.
“Ultra Violence And Beethoven” sounds just like what it’s called; it’s titled quite appropriately. Maybe it’s a reference to A Clockwork Orange? I mean the song could definitely fit in the movie. There are some deep heavy synths and noises followed by short breaks where Marty’s high-pitched voice beckons out to these crazy spacey sounds.
Then final song, “Forms,” emerges. I think there’s a xylophone in the background mixed in with new wave-esque synths and beat catching hand claps. I really like this track because it’s the more intimate song off the album. You can really get sucked in it and get tied up in the maze of sounds.
Once again, if you’re not into this new kinda music, Baby Monster is still something fresh to enjoy.
For more information on Baby Monster check out their official website and Twitter page. Get their self-titled album now on iTunes.