BIRDEATSBABY: The World Conspires (ALTERNATIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Better late than never. That's what we said to each other at Music Waves when we discovered Birdeatsbaby... ten years later. This Brighton-based band was born from the collaboration of Mishkin Fitzgerald and Garry Mitchell who met during their studies in the first decade of the 21st century. A first album, "Here She Comes-a-tumblin" was released in 2009, followed by "Feast of Hammers" (2012), "The Bullet Within" (2014) and "Tanta Furia" (2016). "The World Conspires", which serves as our gateway to their universe, is therefore already their fifth album. And, let's say it right away, this is a beautiful discovery, rich and inventive.

Because if Birdeatsbaby started its career with the dark progressive rock label affixed to her music, a name duly justified when listening to its first three albums, its style takes a more electric and symphonic turn with "Tanta Furia": the compositions are enriched with complex arrangements, the first saturations appear, the music abandons its cabaret side to take a more rock turn with a guitar more present than in the beginning. "The World Conspires" is another highlight of these beautiful dispositions.

The album is long and dense: no less than 15 tracks for a duration of about 70 minutes constitute the hearty menu that awaits the listener. This is, moreover, let us begin with the negative points, one of the criticisms that can be addressed to "The World Conspires". The often changing melodies, sophisticated arrangements, and different musical styles create a complexity that requires several careful listening to tame the object. Not that the disc contains some weak titles! All the compositions are worthy of interest and there is no filling here, the band is just too generous and should have kept some of their songs aside for a future album.

But this is not a big deal. Because how can we not be seduced by the creativity of this group, which mixes with the same happiness gothic rock, alternative rock, pop, steampunk, with a wink at the cabaret of inter-war ('Ropes') and classical music (the elegiac 'Dido's Lament' borrowed from Henry Purcell), by mixing some touches of metal (the aggressive 'Painkiller') and even a touch of death metal (the finale of 'Bad Blood')? In the service of these melodies, an impressive instrumentarium where Garry Mitchell's saturated guitars and the sometimes wild drums of Pablo Paracchino and Anna Mylee rub shoulders with Hana Maria's violin and cello, a saxophone, clarinet, jazzy double bass and even some lace stitches from a harp ('Esmerelda').

As for Mishkin Fitzgerald's vocals, it evokes in turn the melancholy of a Sonja Kraushofer (The Immortal Soul, Persephone), the immoderation of a Matthew Bellamy (Muse) and the mutinous and delirious extravagance of a Kate Bush. Alternately desperate, passionate, hysterical, disturbing, the female singer's voice is transformed at will, as credible in its softness as in its demonstration of strength.

"The World Conspires" is an album that will require many listenings to uncover all its mysteries but which nevertheless seduces from the first listening by the bewitching atmosphere that emerges. Perhaps too generous as it is dense and long, but very contrasted with many changes of rhythms, atmospheres, a very elaborate song and plethora of arrangements, "The World Conspires" unrolls an alternative rock of a great quality.
- Official website

BIRDEATSBABY

THE WORLD CONSPIRES

DR. MUSIC PROMOTION

ALTERNATIVE ROCK