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80s electronica mashed with
industrial attitude

The Birthday Massacre - Looking Glass
(Metropolis Records)
4 stars (out of 5 stars)
Reviewed: Aug. 7, 2008
>The Birthday Massacre

Review by Andy Argyrakis

At first glance, metallic rockers The Birthday Massacre evoke the likes of new wavers Blondie or The Matinee Club, if only for the passionate vocal execution of front woman Chibi. But as one divers deeper into its latest effort Looking Glass (Metropolis), it's apparent the Canadian sextet is also allured by the heavier side of 80s electronica merged with the industrial nuances of Nine Inch Nails, and at its most experimental, recent tour mates Mindless Self Indulgence.

Opening track "Looking Glass" unloads with icy keyboards, jarring guitars and attitude-strewn lyrics, taking listeners into an ominous frame of mind without fully dabbling on the dark side. "Shiver" is a bit more sinister in presentation, as the ominous keys glaze over circling electric strums and Chibi's entrancing moans. Yet "Nowhere" breaks from the intensity, taking on an entirely instrumental turn that could aptly greet an early morning sunrise, complete with nature-oriented sound effects.

But it's right back to more meaty electronics through the menacing sounds of Dave Garcia's Space Lab Mix to "Red Stars," followed by the zombie-like death march "Weekend," (billed as the NYC77 mix by Dave Ogilvie and Matthew Moldowan). The highly emotional offering finds additional relief via the sheer glee of the final track "I Think We're Alone Now," which was first a 1967 hit for Tommy James & the Shondells, followed by mall queen Tiffany twenty years later. Under the guise of The Birthday Massacre, it's a swirling keyboard and guitar mash-up with an underlying guilty pleasure pop glow and a remarkably sweet aftertaste.

Watch The Birthday Massacre - "Looking Glass" video

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