Hailing from Southend, Baddies released their debut single ‘Battleships’ just under a year ago and since then, according to their press release, have had everyone ‘spaffing in their pants.’ Yes that’s right ‘spaffing!’ Now I’m not going to judge a band entirely on their press release, but this does highlight my main problem with Baddies: despite their sometimes catchy and energetic sound they just seem so crude and juvenile.
Comparisons to bands such as Kaiser Chiefs are understandably rife, but at least when the Kaiser Chiefs released Employment in 2005 this kind of sound was still relatively novel. The first track from debut Do The Job, ‘Tiffany…I’m Sorry’ displays the bands predilection for a brilliantly pounding bass line but ultimately it is equally as facile as recent single ‘Open One Eye.’ In terms of writing a catchy hook the Baddies achieve moderate success, but when it comes to writing the lyrics, well that just seems a different story entirely. I just can’t bring myself to like a song that produces such gems as “This happened when I was just seven years old, or was it six I’m not sure if I remember” and “Someone turned up empty handed, I asked them why they were so empty handed”.
Previously failing to evoke the raw energy of Queens of the Stone Age, Baddies offering ‘We Beat Our Chests’ does little to revive my flagging opinion as they have a stab at the Arctic Monkeys. And whilst I’m aware that such a formula has worked well in the past: repeating a few key phrases ad-nauseam does not a good guitar anthem make.
Its 2009, there is an incredible pool of talented artists surfacing from underground scenes and internet blogs everywhere. It is a tough clamber to the top, and those that make it and manage to stay there for a while will have something more enduring, more infectious, and more poignant up their sleeves than this. There is a glimmer of potential in the ferocious energy the band bring to their music, punctuating catchy guitar hooks with upbeat melodies but ultimately Do The Job is a stale and repetitive album.
The Baddies debut effort has, in my mind, produced an undistinguished set of songs that proves musical maturity remains a long way off.
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This was fun to read.
You got the lyrics wrong you douche bag, so that point falls rather flat. Also, did it conveniently pass you buy that the band are independently financed and they days of record execs swooshing in and offering record deals are long gone. Do your research next time. It’s one of the years best releases.
Why were they empty handed? Were they covering an episode of Come Dine With Me? People on that show get really angry when guests turn up empty handed. I think turning up empty hands sounds better: it implies a pacifying Gaelic shrug.
I have no idea what a ‘pacifying Gaelic shrug’ is but it sounds like the worlds most effective, if most boring, wrestling move.
Also, I agree,’turned up empty hands’ does sound better. But what do I know, I’m a dyslexic. I read it wrong anyway.
Baddies are an indy band in the truest sense of the word, i.e. they are unsigned and self-funded. For that alone, in a landscape shat upon by trite industry stooges, their efforts should be applauded.
While reading Laura’s review something about the tone struck me that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Now I’ve heard the album I know what it is: bitterness. It’s plain from the first listen that everything on the album is catchy and infectious, the album will sell by the bucket load and Baddies are set to become very famous. No matter how scathing and sarcastic Laura makes her reviews, not many people will read them and she is unlikely to become a famous or successful writer. And who gives a chuff about lyrics for Christ’s sake (except self-loathing students)! This is music to move to; people will be too busy po-going round their living rooms to care much about lyrics.