It has, alas, come to my attention that the vast majority of otherwise intelligent, rational and well-adjusted folk STILL appear to be averting their ears from some of the most mesmerisingly scintillating original music extant in the world today. This would appear to be in direct contravention of all logic, yet still the injustice persists.
There will always be artists you desperately NEED in your life, but, as yet, you have remained painfully unaware.
One such crucial band who ought, by rights, to be mandatory listening for all in possession of functioning ears are Brighton’s BirdEatsBaby, purveyors of marvellously idiosyncratic yet pervasively tuneful music that makes the outside of the box sound like a far more melodious and interesting place than the inside.
Their flawless fusion of classical, cabaret and rock stylings easily escapes the lazy descriptions of our era’s hackneyed genre-mongers, as no half-baked attempt at classification could ever do justice to Birdeatsbaby’s multifaceted hybridisation of stunning musicianship, jaw-dropping theatricality, powerful lyricism, cabaret mystique, and alternate musical muscle and sensitivity.
Their guitar-free sound might, in a lesser band’s hands, leave a certain emptiness, but this only adds extra distinction to such a unique musical proposition. With a line-up comprising piano, violin, drums, bass and cello, the sheer power of their music might come as some surprise, as might the shockwaves of drama and intrigue reverberating through each song.
This force is unleashed to full effect on their staggering debut album, ‘Here She Comes A’ Tumblin”, with classical textures interweaving with heavy vaudevillian grooves, thumping riffs, eerie atmospherics and a pounding rhythmic backbone, and saturated in a giddy sense of drama that fairly flabbergasts from the first listen.
The only experience that could possibly outdo the act of listening to the album is to be gifted the good fortune to see Birdeatsbaby live. As one of the few occasions of truly momentous importance to occur in our time, I had no choice but to venture from my lair in the shadowy Phonovault to encounter them at the Spice of Life in Soho, London.
It came as no surprise to me that the live act more than lived up to the mastery of their recorded output. Though ensconced in the corner of a basement room beneath Soho’s decadently thronging thoroughfares, they effortlessly achieved the Tardis-like feat of creating a sound seemingly far bigger than the space it filled.
As with the album, theatricality and idiosyncracy were to the fore, turning a low-key gig into a full-blown performance. Singer/pianist Mishkin was in her element, her extraordinary voice alternating effortlessly between banshee wail, tender purr and quasi-operatic holler, in a performance that ran the gamut of emotions from temerity to almost frightening intensity. Her astounding keys work carried the songs into a panoply of dark and intriguing places. Violinist Keely’s virtuoso lead lines and atmospheric embellishments took the overall sound to near-stratospheric levels, employing effects and distortion to staggering effect, as well as contributing her own powerful vocal talents. Underpinning all this was the herculean heft of the rhythm section, with the low-end grooves of sole bearer of the Y chromosome Garry creating a rumbling, ominous sense of drama, whilst drummer Philippa pounded her skins into syncopated submission with a potent combination of rhythmic nous and sheer power.
Naturally, picking highlights from such a magnificent example of live music is nigh-on impossible. However, there are bound to be a great many moments that will be indelibly etched into my memory. The frantic vocal duelling between Mishkin and Keely during ‘China Doll’, the wistful ‘Victoria’, the thundering ‘Shiver up the Spine’… a veritable embarrassment of riches.
However, my paltry offerings as scribe could never hope to satisfactorily conjure up the full Birdeatsbaby experience, so this leaves you only one option- to discover them for yourselves! Be it live or listening, it is an experience that is bound to be worth your while. To help ease your access to such phenomenal music, I would suggest the following links:
http://www.birdeatsbaby.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/birdeatsbaby
http://www.last.fm/music/Birdeatsbaby
The fact remains, though, that there are a great many more bands of comparable calibre to the mighty Birdeatsbaby’ who by some bizarre quirk of fate have so far eluded the earshot of the musically-minded masses. This, of course, is a terrible travesty, one that should be rectified forthwith. By listening to Birdeatsbaby, you could be taking a monumental step on the path to saving music.
Dr A.F.W. Curio