Violet in Bloomington, MN

After a spooky synth intro track that sounds like a snippet of '70s Italian horror movie specialists
Goblin
,
the Birthday Massacre
's debut album swiftly moves into a reimagination of '80s
new wave
styles rather similar to fellow Toronto band
Metric
but with more of a goth/
darkwave
vibe. Two synthesizer players do battle with a
rock
guitarist fond of the kind of crunchy hard-candy riffs that the
hair metal
bands made inescapable for a few years. Over this, mono-named singer
Chibi
does a passable imitation of
Lene Lovich
's quirky phrasing, occasionally shooting for a more ethereal
Kate Bush
sort of sound. The resulting melange of half-remembered styles from the not so distant past is entertaining enough. ~ Stewart Mason