Aluminum Babe: Vit Ri Fied
(Lucero Records)
THIS is how it's done, kids. If you want a thorough primer on how to make
a classic album utilizing well-worn pop/rock templates
(in this case, '80s-era new wave dance pop, early punk and high-energy
Swedish garage rock), give a close listen to Aluminum Babe's
Vit Ri Fied, yet another gem from the verdant musical gardens of Sweden. Separately, no single element of Aluminum Babe—including
the youthful, seemingly carefree vocals of frontwoman Anna—is all that startling.
But when blended together, the results are revelatory. You kinda think you've heard something like it before, but wow, you wonder—what did they do to
make it sound so fresh?
Mentioning past musical references isn't really that useful, although the band clearly had to have been influenced by female-fronted outfits like Blondie, Berlin, Katrina and the Waves (boy does that name have different connotations now), Missing Persons, etc.
Their bio also mentions the Sex Pistols, which
I don't really get. But there are three things that distinguish Aluminum Babe from their modern-day competitors: a truly killer rhythm section made up of Jorge Musa on bass and Darren Fried on drums (Musa's fluid, prominent thumping is a gas!), a keen ear for infectious melodies and interesting arrangements, and Anna herself, who sings with a completely natural exuberance and has the ability to alter her style at will.

She's a knockout! On "Upside Down," Anna purrs in French alluringly on the verses
(when was the last time you heard a Swede singing in French?), then shifts her timbre just a bit for the English chorus. The whole thing is incredibly sexy, with sweet guitar and a soft rhythm locking it down.
"Dream Dancing" is sheer perfection—a lush, melancholy trip hop-tinged tune that gains power from the tasteful interplay between Fried and Musa, and the romantic angst Anna conveys with understated emotion.
And speaking of dream dancing, "Standing and Waving Goodbye" and "Everything 2 Me" are delirious dance-pop gems that should pack the floors of any club, with Anna's breathy high register on the former rivaling
her Nordic sister Annie for frothy poptronica
splendor, and the latter's simple chorus of
"I want you to be/Everything to me" proving completely irresistible when coupled with the bubble-icious synth lines. Elsewhere, you get some brisk, no-frills indie rock ("Little Girl," "Disease Contagious" and "Not 2 Easy 2 Forget"— a foot-tapper that's performed with
unabashed glee) and a pair of wild covers: an improbably delicate acoustic take on Ween's "Baby Bitch" and a thrilling, rock-your-ass-off update of Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi," in which Anna's high-pitched "Ooh ooh ooh ooh" after each verse made me giddy with delight.

Quite simply, Aluminum
Babe have made one of the most uninhibited, purely joyous records of the year, and they've done it with high production values and ace musicianship. By the way, the word "vitrified" means "converted into glass." And this one is filled to the brim with something cool, bubbly and refreshing.
----------Kevin Renick/Playback--St Louis

Aluminum Babe: Vit Ri Fied
(Lucero Records)
Aluminum Babe have a lot going for them on this album.
Led by the one-name singer and guitarist Anna, who comes off sounding like Björk in love with the Cranberries or Controller.
Controller, the group nail the dance-fuelled, disco-tinted leadoff song "I Don't Wanna Be Loved." The song works in large part to Anna's excellent lilt and slight accent, but it also shines thanks to the tight, winding rhythm section of bassist Jorge Musa and the hi-hat frenzy from drummer Darren Fried.

Think of an early Pulp song and you get the gist of this new look at retro-new wave pop. This well-crafted niche is explored on the
French-sung "Upside Down" with its great bass line and groove that attacks one's hips or head, causing either or both to swing
immediately as Anna sings about having to stop your emotions in English later on, á la early Blondie.

There are several quality songs that bring to mind the Concretes or Feist, particularly during the bouncy, frantic, and criminally infectious "Little Girl" that is short but terribly sweet.
However, even this nugget pales compared to the stellar "Not 2 Easy 2 Forget" which, well, isn't easy to forget at all. Starting slow á la the Cure before picking up a heap of "grrl" punk steam, the song resembles something Shout Out Louds might consider churning out. The band gives a grittier performance on the minimal, mid-tempo but catchy What Is What that relies on the vocals and a simple guitar riff to carry the tune.
This tone continues, showing a different shade of the band on the sparse, tension-builder "Dream Dancing" that sounds like it came out of the late disco era. After a folksy-meets-Celtic attempt during Baby Bitch, the new wave, art pop flavor returns on "Standing and Waving Goodbye."
A true surprise is the garage rock feel of the Strokes heard throughout "Disease Contagous" but the rowdy, punk cover of Plastique Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi" manages to even top it.
---------------------- www.allmusic.com

Aluminum Babe: Vit Ri Fied
(Lucero Records)

"Take the Cardigans, rub off their shiny surface
and stick them in a filthy underground club and you may get an approximation of Aluminum Babe.
But they elude simple comparison. They yank the bittersweet guitar song violently into funky disco
terrain and then gently lick it with a creamy female falsetto – as heard in this selection of spiky and extremely original songs.

But this band are not merely austere pop fodder, and there is much more to them than your average Farnz Ferdinand name-check.
Aluminum Babe not only bop to disco while rocking to guitars, but they wield a sensual, subtle electronic undercurrent that could be found in some of the most obscure avant-dance corners.
The moody acoustic pulse of "Dream Dancing" squeezes in among altogether more raucous, driving dance-punk energies, making for a fascinating sonic journey that is highly recommended".
(8 out of 10) Amy McGill. Rock Sound.