-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: Babe
ALBUM...: Kiss & Tell
GENRE...: Electronic
STYLE...: Synth-pop, Indie Pop, Electro Pop
YEAR....: 2017
LABEL...: Kartel Music Group
COUNTRY.: United Kingdom
PLACE...: Glasgow, Glasgow City
ENCODER.: LAME 3.100 -V0
BITRATE.: 253 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo
SOURCE..: CD
TRACKS..: 10
SIZE....: 74.06 MB
URL..: http://babeband.bandcamp.com
- TRACKLIST
1 Ayo 4:51
2 Ecce Poque 4:36
3 Wisteria 3:35
4 Perpetuum Mobile 3:34
5 Cupola Panorama 3:34
6 Scooping Pints 2:53
7 Bit Part 5:02
8 The Point Is 4:25
9 Realistic 4:09
10 Primo 4:11
Total Playtime: 40:50
Described as 'Glasgow's premier secret party band', Babe have released a new
record in 2017 entitled Kiss & Tell. It's not very common that a relatively
indie band can combine dance and disco music with indie pop and it turn out
okay but Babe blend their sound to also include dream pop and house and
techno for a true eclectic combination.
*
2017 release from Glasgow's premier secret party band. Babe are back after a
two year absence with Kiss & Tell, the follow-up to the excellent and
unclassifiable 2014 debut Volery Flighty. The band, made up of singer-leader
Gerard Black (Findo Gask), guitarist Thomas Ogden, bassist Amaury Ranger
(Francois and the Atlas Mountains) and new drummer/producer John Baillie Jnr
(Bossy Love) have regrouped and refocused to deliver a record as much for the
quiet hours as it is for the house party. Kiss & Tell is an album which finds
Babe striding confidently, if not swaggering, towards the dancefloor. You can
hear disco music, house and techno, dream-pop and so much more on album
number two, but it remains utterly cohesive. No longer uncategorized, Kiss &
Tell is the only sad-disco album you'll need in 2017. "I used to be obsessed
with Italo disco and all sorts of electronic dance music," says Black, the
owner of a heartbreaking falsetto which mellows the kick and thump of synth
beats, and the sparkling array of Cocteau Twins-esque guitars on the album.
"We definitely wanted this one to be a bit more upbeat and a bit of a party."
*
hile Babe's 2014 debut, Volery Flighty, walked a varied path - pieced
together over time, saturated with instruments and influences - their
sophomore effort Kiss & Tell feels more focused than anything the band has
done before, signalling a fresh, more measured approach that goes far to
replicate the group's captivating live incarnation. At times they're part
Beta Band, exploring off-kilter electronica and experimental noise with the
vocal gymnastics and lyrical ambiguity of the Cocteau Twins.
Recorded and self-produced in more linear blocks, Kiss & Tell finally sees
Babe as a fully-formed gang, following some line-up augmentations. With
members split between Glasgow, Brussels and London, and with involvement in
bands such as Bossy Love, Rozi Plain and Franτois and the Atlas Mountains,
the pan-European alliance's collective musical pedigree is undeniable.
Opener Ayo is awash with slow-building synth, laid-back R&B grooves and
understated beats, while Bit Part has room to breathe with handclap samples
and wonky riffs. It saunters and builds with repeated near-climaxes, Gerard
Black's immaculate falsetto weaving throughout. Similarly, on Cupola
Panorama, Black's vocals are impeccable over a chorus of gentle synths and
80s guitar licks. There's synergy between the elements and choirboy melodies
floating on a sea of sounds.
Everything drops in to place for Ecce Poque, and the tempo lifts. Cutesy
chirps dance over sweet beats and swirling reverb-laden riffs before the
eloquent Eurodisco of Perpetuum Mobile. Wisteria is addictive electropop with
heart, buoyant and electrifying, while Scooping Pints is a steel drum
flirtation of scale-fluttering trills. Closing track Primo is the album's
well-placed crescendo of infectious energy, with beautiful blips, beats and
handclaps.
Kiss & Tell is an effortlessly special album from an incredible, largely
unclassifiable entity, with endless elements and influences combining to
create something thrillingly unique.
-=- SHGZ -=-
-=-=-==-=-=-
Dream Pop
is a subgenre of
alternative rock and neo-psychedelia
that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop
melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions,
and effects such as reverb, echo, tremolo, and chorus. It often
overlaps with the related genre of shoegaze, and the
two genre terms have at times been
used interchangeably.
---==--==---