Customer Reviews

The Birth

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What an absolutely overwhelming way to announce yourselves to the world...Stardeath And White Dwarfs' "The Birth" is surreal...a genuine sonic smack in the face --- the likes of which I haven't received since (Stardeath And White Dwarfs' lead singer Dennis Coyne's genius-uncle Wayne Coyne's band) The Flaming Lips knocked my senses clear out the stratosphere back in 2002 with the astounding "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots". Now it is 2009, and in a year where The Flaming Lips are set to release another surely seminal, certainly space-saturated album (tentatively called "Embryonic"), is it possible that their Okie-kin may have beat them to the punch with an otherworldy and brilliant debut album? For the sake of their credibility, the music rag industry needs to just crown this as the album of the year, immediately. It's simply stunning. Brilliant from the first harmony all the way to the final fuzz, I can't believe this band is still, by and large, a well-kept secret. While other (read: lesser) tripped-out bands are getting all the press (ahem...Animal Collective), "The Birth" is an auditory buffet that I want to keep getting in line for, over and over and over. "I Can't Get Away" is impossible to get away from...which is either irony or brilliant artistry. I would tend to lean toward the latter, as the evidence of the band's sonic & poetic brilliance needs no further evidence than to listen to the brilliant conclusion to the heartwrenching "Country Ballad". If Stardeath and White Dwarfs didn't just blow their whole load in one massive shot, and actually have several bullets left in the chamber, this band has just punched a one-way ticket to their final resting place in that legendary shrine in Cleveland. Very rarely are debut albums this complete and impressive. The time spent with the Flaming Lips is flowing all throughout the album, tastefully, artfully, and originally. The obvious Pink Floyd influence is apparent, and will immediately draw comparison, which is fine by me. It's hardly a negative thing to be mentioned in their vein, and in this instance the sound is only subtly familiar...ideas have clearly been plucked from all sorts of genres and styles...ears could even hear a more psychedelic version of early Oasis, bits of STS9, and even some moe., but it is an adventure 100% worth taking...sadly only stretching a little over a half-hour. It immediately leaves you longing for more, and one can only hope that the band quickly gives us more and more of this beautiful, melodic freak-rock to satiate the inevitable thirst this album causes. I am so excited for the future of this band, but for now, all I know is that this album makes me not want to kill myself.

Overall, this album is filled with songs that are harsh but gentle; somber but joyful; lonely but hopeful. I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a "stoner" album. But let's just say being part of The Flaming Lips road crew definitely benefited this band. For a debut album, The Birth is a wise and surreal accomplishment.

FULL REVIEW HERE
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Along with Tame Impala's more recent release, this debut effort by Star Death and White Dwarfs marks what is hopefully a resurgence of fresh, original, exciting space rock (for lack of a better term). Combining elements of The Flaming Lips (who bear a blood connection with this band), Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath's more dirge-like anthems (whereas the aforementioned Tame Impala share the same pedigree only with a bluesier Cream-like edge), Star Death and White Dwarfs have created an album of over-the-top riffs, psychedelic folk songs, and enough explicit drug references to please the stoner in us all (Seriously, how perfect is the title "Smoking Pot Makes Me Not Want to Kill Myself?")
Even though the longest song clocks in at under 5 minutes, the band manages to cram a lot of ideas into every song creating the sense of epic-ness without overindulging in ten minute ramblers. The opening "The Sea is on Fire" sounds like an early Flaming Lips track, which leads into the poppy "New Heat" which could have been a top ten hit in the late sixties. The band dishes out a couple acoustic numbers that have the majesty of Pink FLoyd's more successful acoustic songs ("Fearless" anyone?) and there is even the obligatory but oh so enjoyable instrumental barn burner, "Those Who Are From the Sun Return to the Sun". And yes, they even know how to give songs ridiculously long names.
While no new musical ground is broke, "The Birth" manages to evoke memories of past greats without explicitly ripping off any specific riffs. Fans of the aforementioned bands should love this album. It may be riskier going for everyone else.

The title of my review is the absolute truth--in an era of seemingly endless sea of mediocre modern-alternative rock bands, Stardeath and White Dwarfs stands out from the crowd. I don't actually think its fair to group them in the same genre. Maybe its their indirect influences of Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath (the mellower, yet still groove oriented Sab); however, it is the more direct and quite obvious influence from frontman Dennis Coyne's Uncle Wayne's band, the Flaming Lips that I hear that makes me smile when I listen to them (THAT, and the fact that they don't really sound too much like anyone else off the top of my head). Don't write them off as imitators, because they have their own style compared to that of the Lips'. It's a little more fuzzed out, a little more straight forward, just as trippy and diverse, and simply an all around great album. Do yourself a favor an pick up a copy of it-You won't regret it.

Well, I only brought this CD cos The Flaming Lips recommmended it. And I know its heresy but I actually like this a whole lot more than Embryonic. Maybe this should have been the next Lips CD? Its great - give it a go

What a band, ripping off the fame and sound of their (lead singer's) uncle................I bet wanye helped out alot on this..............for godsakes their artwork (look how they spell the name of the band on the cover) is a complete rip off of the lips...................the music is just mediocre garage trash

Excuse My Poor Grammer
Robert Keith