Since multi-instrumentalist Sarah Carroll-Kelly first came to the attention of the gig-going public 18 months ago, she’s frequently been compared to pint-sized Blackpool synthpopper Little Boots, which is a damn shame for several reasons. But we’re not here to talk about what’s wrong with Little Boots. We’re here to talk about what’s right with Babybeef.
Carroll-Kelly created Babybeef four years ago when she realised she was “sick of being in the audience” and thought: “Hey, I’m more than capable of rustling up some highly complicated multi-layered electro pop all by myself!” Hey, if the ‘tude fits…
On this, her eponymous debut, tracks boast half a dozen layers of synth alone, as well as countless electronic bells and whistles. So I guess we can forgive Ms. Carroll-Kelly for taking a couple of years to produce these 11 dizzying tunes.
The Babybeef sound can be as grating as it is funky. That’s not a criticism – in the case of the jerky pop makeover of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ and echoey anthem ‘Wait’, it’s a contradiction that works wonderfully well. Carroll-Kelly’s husky, quaking vocals are used sparsely and cleverly and lyrics range from the juvenile (“She’s kinda cool/ She’s chemical”) to the provocative (“I was shaking at the knees/ Could I come again please?”), but always bear an elementary charm.
Other good things the ‘Beef is bringing include the ice cool groove of ‘Theme’, the looped vocal chanting on ‘Get Go’, pretty much everything about the infectious and fabulously-named ‘Music’ and the haunting blips that run through ‘Tell Me Reprise’, which closes out the album in its 35th minute.
Oddly, Babybeef’s debut never packs quite enough punch in its grooves to have you itching for a dance floor but there’s still plenty of darling and camp electro-cabaret to enjoy. Babybeef won’t capture the hearts of the casual dance-pop lover and it certainly won’t turn on any strangers to the genre. However, hardcore Soft Cell fans will go all wobbly. And rightly so.