Album Reviews: The Babies – Cry Along With The Babies
If I had a nickel for every time that I reviewed a band from Brooklyn… well, truthfully, I’d probably only have enough money to buy a box of Goobers, but you get the point. I’m not knocking the area at all, I just mean to say that it is the modern melting pot for indie rockers to call their home and form bands. The Babies are a young band, (pun DEFINITELY intended), and have thus far released a few singles and an LP that all center around some loose definition of indie pop. Not more than a few days ago, the group released a new EP called Cry Along With The Babies that is far from typical of their previous works, as it displays twenty minutes of members Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone’s low fidelity recordings and demos.
Listen to “Trouble”
The Babies – Trouble by New Images
The Pros:
Although there’s nothing but a guitar or two and Kevin and Cassie’s vocals featured on every track, their signature peppiness shines through on these minimalist songs. Because the segments of Cry Along With The Babies were recorded on the go in between shows and in bedrooms, (and trust me, it is very apparent upon listening), the twee nature belonging to The Babies’ other releases has to be “unearthed” so to speak in order to get the familiar effect if you are a fan of the group. This EP contains a set of blueprints, after all.
The Cons:
The Babies are not artists for the lo-fi genre. That is what we have to learn from listening to their new extended play. Audio quality of a song has nothing to do with how well-received or listenable the music ends up being. Bands like Sebadoh and Guided By Voices have kicked that hypothesis out the door by recording numerous releases with poor audio equipment and churning out indie rock classics that get played to this day such as “Spoiled” and “Drinker’s Peace,” respectively.
If you have listened to anything The Babies put out prior to this release, their niche is instantly understood. They deserve a studio setting for any of their songs. Take “All Things Come To Pass” for example; it is a heavy reverb-utilized affair with plainly strummed guitars and twinkly vocals. Strip away any cords, amplifiers, and drums, and you are left with a dull, repetitious tune that sounds nothing like its original form did. There lies the problem with Cry Along: it is a collection of six potential songs that are all in a premature stage, (another intended pun), and would bode well seeing an addition of the electric guitars and drums relative to The Babies’ other output.
The Verdict:
It is gutsy to allow the public insight to mere ideas of songs in a state of unreadiness, but it is astounding that Morby and Ramone didn’t take a look at what they were about to release and decide against doing so. Remember, we’re not talking about audio here, but the songwriting quality doesn’t fit the lo-fi genre presented on the EP. Another shame to consider is that this is being released partly to coincide with their tour as supporting act for the wonderful Real Estate. Cry Along With The Babies is a one-way ticket to get a fan base disinterested in an opening act for the headliner, that is for sure.
