Album Details

• Artist: Baby Calendar
• Album: Gingerbread Dog
• Label: Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: kev_stev on 2007-07-30

Media

Baby Calendar are passionately averse to the word “cute" when describing their music.  This, of course, is justifiable: what band wants their legacy to be remembered as cute? However, the pop sensibilities of Baby Calendar—dual vocals weaving in and out, clapping, danceable guitar and keyboard melodies, songs entitled “Skibbledeebee” and “Lunchbox”—often evoke words like cute, derogatory or not. 

On Gingerbread Dog, an 11 track LP from Baby Calendar, animated indie pop is heard through Tom Gorrio’s confident tenor and Jackie Biver’s unmistakably child-like voice, which is as winsome and infectious as it can be cloying.  The contrasting voices are unconventional and are successful throughout most of the music; sometimes, however, the vocals are overly sentimental and can deter further listens.  Opening and closing tracks “Zipped Up” and “Zipped Down” best epitomize what Baby Calendar are all about: charmingly sincere vocals ricocheting off each other, propelled by keyboard and danceable beats.  But then there are songs like “Laboratories” and “Skibbledeebee,” where the vocals have the tendency to become irritating, almost painful.  Akin to their structure of dual vocalists, the vocals have a two-fold effect--holding both Baby Calendar’s triumphs and flaws.

Overall, though, the music is dynamic and infectious; Baby Calendar’s ability to create catchy pop songs without becoming monotonous or repetitive is impressive, and the dual vocals do add an impressive uniqueness and earnestness to their sound.  Though sometimes I felt like I’ve heard enough of Gingerbread Dog, the intermittent, intertwining echoes of the keyboard dragged me back in, and from it all I can say that I’m anxious to see where this band goes next.  One thing’s for sure: cute certainly isn’t what they’re aiming for.

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