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The Birthday Massacre
Walking with Strangers

Metropolis Records

Posted: Friday, August 31, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

In recent years, there's been an intriguing fascination in both the mainstream and in the underground with the music of the '80s. From the nü-metal synth rock attack of Orgy's version of "Blue Monday," to the incorporation of new wave melodies and synthesizers prevalent in The Killers' music, and even to the Blondie-meets-Berlin approach of groups like The Start, it's rather clear that '80s pop music has had a profound and lasting impact on today's musicians. Canada's The Birthday Massacre have proved to be one of the more unique employers of these influences with their distinctive blend of synth-driven new wave, gothic melodies, and heavy guitars, a combination that is just as appealing to underground goths as it is to the mainstream emo crowd. Following their debut album Violet, and the re-release of their Nothing and Nowhere demo EP, the band releases their sophomore album, Walking with Strangers.

From the first resonating notes leading into the pulsating synths and throbbing guitars of "Kill the Lights," it would seem that very little has changed for the band. Chibi's vocals enter into the mix with their soaring melodic tones, enticing the listener to drift into a fantastic dreamlike trance befitting the mystical ambience that permeates throughout the band's music. What becomes readily apparent throughout the album that Chibi has matured as a vocalist, as evidenced by such songs as the catchy and rhythmic "Goodnight" and the sadly romantic "Unfamiliar." Whereas her voice would shift from malevolent to melodic on previous releases, Walking with Strangers shows her focusing more an actual singing without gratuitous affectations. It's slightly less varied, but her voice is so sweet to listen to that it only enhances the power of the music. Credit should be given to primary songwriters and guitarists M. Falcore and Rainbow, who once again treat us to an atmospheric blend of swirling guitar melodies that will surely remind many of The Cure, augmented by layers of crystalline synthesizer pads and arpeggios that give the music a dramatic depth rarely heard in other bands. Unlike the last album, there are no instrumental interludes here, but as on Violet, we are treated to an update of a song originally featured on the Nothing and Nowhere demo. This new version of "To Die For" is slightly more concise, but the added production and refined performance makes the song all the more striking. The only questionably good song is the album's closing track, "Movie," as it sounds like The Cure's "Plainsong" if it were vocalized by Julie Cruise a la Twin Peaks. Still, it's a rather beautiful ending, if somewhat overly familiar.

Enhancing the band's '80s mystique is the added production of the legendary Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, remembered by many for his contributions to Skinny Puppy. His touch can be felt throughout Walking with Strangers, for while the band's signature layers of guitars and synths are still present, the album has a much cleaner sheen than its predecessors, adding to the sense of musical progression. Even the slightly juvenile lyrical themes of Violet and Nothing and Nowhere are toned down, and while the artwork retains the ethereal shades of purple and black, somehow the silhouettes of children playing in a schoolyard wearing rabbit ears seems less whimsical than the Alice in Wonderland-like intimations of their previous covers, as if to put away childish things in favor of real life. That's not to say that The Birthday Massacre won't be able to hold onto their audience, and Walking with Strangers shows both a consistency and an evolution of sound and style, and if nothing else, listeners will find themselves singing along to these songs long after they've ended.