Birdeatsbaby’s second album, ‘Feast of Hammers’ was a theatrical explosion, a work of and soaring ambition and a grandiosity that was going to be hard to top. So for album number three, ‘The Bullet Within’, they’ve reigned in some of their wildest, most maximalist tendencies, while pushing in numerous different directions. The result is an album that’s varied, wide-ranging and yet still bears the distinctive hallmarks of Brighton’s masters of theatrical pop.
Lead single ‘The Bullet’ kicks the album off with a skipping, fiddle-laced swing number, with stops, starts and changes of tempo and mood here there and everywhere, and it’s perhaps the closest to any of the tracks from ‘Feast’ there is on here. ‘Drinking in the Day’ is quite simply a big ballad that’s magnificently melancholy yet strong. ‘Enemies Like Me’ is propelled by tribal drumming and a stonking low-slung bass groove and contrasts with the sparse, haunting ’Ghosts’ that evokes empty halls and chiffon drapes billowing in open windows.
‘Hands of Orlac’ builds to a sweeping orchestral crescendo and is, if anything, all too brief, while ‘Tenterhooks’ introduced newfound grunge leanings, and single ‘Spiders’ combines electro beats and maudlin strings. Gabby Young’s deeper, folkier, rootsier vocals contrast with Mishkin’s vocal tones to create a dramatic counterpoint. It’s also the biggest departure from anything BEB have done previously, being more overtly commercial sounding – although I’d certainly hesitate to suggest it’s the sound of a band selling out. If anything, ‘The Bullet Within’ feels like a more personal and thoughtful album, Mishkin evoking a broad emotional range, from brooding introversion to tempestuous anger.
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‘The Bullet Within’ may be less overtly flamboyant, and an ultimately more reflective and composed album than its predecessor, but Birdeatsbaby haven’t lost any of their sense of drama.
Birdeatsbaby Online
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