The Babies are not taking baby steps. The Brooklyn band has quickly evolved from a noise pop side project to an exciting indie band with a broad palette of expression and an engaging ability to marry pop melody and rock energy, and then adorn it with menace, sweetness, melancholy and a satisfying arsenal of musical touches. And the coming out party for the grown up band is the full length Our House on the Hill, out today on Woodsist Records. The first single, "Moonlight Mile", provides an excellent preview of the album's quality.
I was interested to learn that the band spent two months of 2011 in Los Angeles, because my first impression upon listening to the album my was that the album seemed more closely related to some of the better music coming out of the West Coast, from San Diego to Seattle, than to the material I've heard from Brooklyn. The music ranges from fast-paced post punk to house party rave ups to Americana dirges. And it has an authentic, sincere feel that gets under your skin.
The Babies are Kevin Morby, Cassie Ramone, Justin Sullivan and Brian Schleyer. As has been well covered, the band began as a side project for Morby (of Woods) and Ramone (of Vivian Girls), along with Sullivan on the drums. Schleyer and his bass joined more recently. However, The Babies is no longer a side project, and that is good news for indie rock fans.
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Album page at Woodsist
The Babies are embarking on a lengthly tour to support Our House On The Hill. Here are the dates and venues:
11/13 Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
11/14 New Haven, CT - BAR
11/15 Montreal, QC - Il Motore
11/16 Toronto, ON - Silver Dollar
11/17 Detroit, MI - Garden Bowl
11/18 Chicago, IL - Schuba’s
11/19 Madison, WI - Mickey’s Tavern
11/20 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
11/21 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
11/23 Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
11/24 Denver, CO - Hi Dive
11/25 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
11/26 Boise, ID - Neurolux
11/28 Portland, OR - Holocene
11/29 Vancouver, BC - Media Club
11/30 Seattle, WA - Barboza
12/01 Olympia, WA - The Northern
12/03 Reno, CA - Holland Project
12/04 Sacramento, CA - Bows and Arrows
12/05 Oakland, CA - 1-2-3-4 Go Records
12/06 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
12/07 Santa Cruz, CA - Crepe Place
12/08 Pomona, CA - VLHS
12/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
12/10 San Diego, CA - Eleven
12/11 Tucson, AZ - Topaz Tundra
12/12 El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Saloon
12/13 San Antonio, TX - Korova
12/14 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
12/15 Dallas, TX - Bryan St Tavern
12/16 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Cafe
12/17 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
12/18 Atlanta, GA - 529
12/19 Durham, NC - The Pinhook
12/20 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
12/21 Washington, DC - Comet Ping Pong
12/22 Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
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