The Beautiful New Born Children

Hey People! (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

I never really bought into the garage rock resurgence of a few years ago. Two or three bands breaking into the mainstream does not qualify a resurgence, it qualifies as two or three bands who play `60s garage rock breaking into the mainstream. Then there was awful alt-rock bands like the Vines who tried desperately to ride the coattails of the Strokes and White Stripes, but that's another can of worms altogether.

Refreshingly enough, the Beautiful New Born Children play a real gritty, take-no-prisoners style of garage rock. The fuzz of the guitars and the swagger of the band's vocalist are real; this is dirty, sweaty rock ‘n' roll at its finest. No frills, no fancy production, no Pro Tools. Just the band and their instruments for an unimpeded twenty-three minute blast of rock.

The vocals are loud and authoritative, sounding like they're going through a megaphone before reaching the microphone. No matter how cacophonous the band behind him, the singer howls and screams above it all with an unbridled intensity. He is the captain of the ship and he wants to make damn sure that everyone knows it. When the band is more tuned down, like "Oh, Alright, Fine," he still commands a certain presence with his soulful vibe. It's usually the louder side of the band's personality that prevails, and "Hectic Control" exemplifies as well as any song on the record.

This high-octane effort shows the band at their loudest and most frantic, the buzzing dissonance and squalling guitars creating a wall of sound only permeated by those howling vocals the lead singer provides. His voice is loud enough to carry over no matter how heavy the music backing him may be. Even in this loud of a setting, the band knows how to work their hooks. They're not poppy and soulless, but infectious just the same. I challenge you to listen to "Paper Mill" without a smile on your face, as the bluesy guitar licks and bouncy rhythm pulls you right in, and if that doesn't, the solo placed right in the middle of the song sure will. The more the record progresses, the more perfect everything sounds together. The vocals are just absolutely top notch for this type of record, and the harsh backbone of the album never relents.

There's always something to be said for originality, it truly never goes out of style, but if authenticity is there too it's all the better.