“Sunset†begins with a compressed synthesizer land that seems plucked out of an early seventies movie, and goes with it, creating a Halloween-like atmosphere (like those .99 CDs at the craft stores) for the rest of the song, with its incorporation of spooky guitar lines. Reminiscent of Bauhaus with “Nosferatuâ€, albeit with a less impacting set of vocals (the vocals are more along the lines of a Placebo than anything), the urgency of the synthesizers and splashy drums found on this track will get people into a mopey, dancy frenzy. The recording on this demo is a little fuzzy, but the intensity of the band shines through the fuzziness and places us front and center to a Baby Shower show. While it is true that shitty recording will usually sink a recording, the fact here is that the issues of recording found on this CD actually give the disc a live air that cannot be created unless a mic was laid down at a live show.
In a more sedate way, “Poison Steps/Die†extends the comparison that one can draw between Baby Shower and the first wave of goth music. The extended length of the track is welcomed because the band actually has the foresight to construct enough of a difference into sections of the track, so one can skip to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th minute and will be listening to something, that while similar, will be completely different. The multi-part chorus that ends of “Poison Steps/Die†may be the most shining example of this continual dynamism, the continue urge to make each second of their disc something new for their listeners. The almost happy-sounding synthesizers of “Welcome to the Club†matches up well with the more positive outlook of the singer (in purely an aural sense).
This Demo, while being not much to look at, from its printed liner notes to Spartan white CD cover, has a style of music that is more catchy than some of the shuffling disco beats to which the early Goth movement saw itself combating. The songs maintain a high level of cohesiveness without all sounding like minor iterations of the first song. Baby Shower maintains some relevancy even though their music incorporates little from the common era. Fans of Goth, dance-punk, hell – even noise, will like Baby Shower, even at this early juncture in their careers. I’m not sure what will happen when they get into a great studio and are able to have carte blanche over the sound they create, but I know I will be waiting.
Top Track: Feel Sick
Rating : 7.0/10
Baby Shower – Demo / 2004 Self-Released / 5 Tracks / [email protected] / Reviewed 19 December 2004