Made Out of Babies: Coward

Made Out of Babies is a band that’s defined by their vocalist, Julie Christmas. Without her there would be little to talk about in reference to the band itself.

Somebody like me who values as band as the sum of all its parts finds this vastly disappointing; however, a person who owns everything that, say, Mike Patton breathes on probably wouldn’t because they might be more willing to let the musical quality slide as long as the vocals were good. Christmas certainly has a flare all her own, turning from bloodcurdling scream to cherubic whisper on the dime.

Meanwhile, the music never really interferes or even lends itself to her theatrical vocal stylings. Sure, their sludgy post-rock is heavy, but it is understated and just can’t compete with Christmas’ voice, even with the help of producer Steve Albini. Unless you think “unique” vocals themselves are reason enough to give something a spin, you might want to skip Coward completely. They probably slay live, but this disc falls flat.

- Tom Youth
Made Out of Babies (Neurot Recordings)