Stolen Babies

Stolen Babies are a band that combine a myriad of styles - avant-garde, metal, horror-punk, goth, industrial, and yes indeed - prog. They are an eclectic four piece, who have guest appearances on their 2006 release 'There Be Squabbles Ahead' from two members of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, & sound like a crazy hybrid of cabaret music, Mr. Bungle, Cradle of Filth, and 'The End Records' label mates SGM and unexpecT.

 

Lead singer Dominique Lenore Persi, who also plays accordion, glockenspiel, and jaw harp, delivers a variety of vocal styles - from  pop, to Broadway styled theatrics, and also black metal styled screams. Rani Sharone handles all the guitar and bass parts on the album, and does a fine job bashing out plenty of thrashy crunch as well as melodic bass grooves. The other two members of the band are Ben Rico on keyboards, and Gil Sharone on drums, who contribute mightily to the overall richness of the band's sound.

 

The band usually dresses up in wild costumes, so their stage show takes the avant-garde nature of their music one step further. Produced by Dan Rathblun of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, who also contributes some tuba on track 7 as well as various background vocals on tracks 3, 7, and 12, and fellow SGM member Carla Kihlstedt contributing some violin on tracks 7 and 11, this is an outrageous collection of songs that are hard to classify, but nevertheless extremely enjoyable.

 

Among the band's many musical influences are groups such as Oingo Boingo, Mr. Bungle, and Fishbone (with whom Gil Sharone has performed). Stolen Babies are known for their on-stage theatrics and energetic performances, filled with props and Gorey-esque backdrops, all made by the various members. Except for the earliest demo, each album has featured artwork by indie comic artist Crab Scrambly.

'There Be Squabbles Ahead', the band's debut full-length album (featuring remixed versions of "A Year of Judges" and "Push Button" from the 2004 demo), was released early in 2006 through the band's website, but was re-released on October 3rd following the band's signing with The End Records. This album also marked the departure of Davin Givhan, the band's former guitarist.

The album has received almost unanimously positive reviews, and has helped to expand their fanbase massively.

http://www.myspace.com/stolenbabies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I reckon it stands a decent enough chance.