The Birthday Massacre
Walking With Strangers
By: Nick Habisch
Rating: 
What makes up a catchy song? As much of a rhetorical question this might be, it is one that generates a multitude of different answers from different people. It might be a guitar line that strikes just right or a vocal melody that melts the heart. There might be a strict formula that a band follows, or it might just be a case of luck. No matter the case, there is something about certain songs that keeps them revolving around in the mind for a long while, and on 2007’s Walking With Strangers, The Birthday Massacre perfected this art.
From the first notes of “Kill the Lights” to the closing sound of “Movie”, The Birthday Massacre leads the listener on a heavy, groovy, bouncy journey through their musical mad world. From the rousing chorus of “Goodnight” to the toned-down remorse of “Remember Me”, this album has songs and songs of excellent quality. The guitars provide the heavy riffs, and the occasional lead line, the drums pound away, not overwhelming the sound, and the bass is (surprisingly) somewhat audible. The keyboards provide the majority of the melody, and are pushed high in the mix and given much room to breathe and flow. The intro to Science stands as being a notable example of the infectious keyboard styling of Walking With Strangers.
With all the tight instruments and musical euphoria that The Birthday Massacre puts out, the cherry on top is the vocals. From the slightly edgy “Falling Down”, the innocence of “Red Stars”, to the strong display on “Goodnight”, Walking With Strangers in no way lacks in the singing department. The melodies are nice, and combined with the instruments; create the essential formula for catchy songs.
The Birthday Massacre created a classic album in Walking With Strangers, and it is worth a listen, if not many more then that. The only possibly negative that this album has is that the songs are structured similarly; but this is in no way a reason to put this back on the shelf. Walking with Strangers is the essential statement of a catchy album, one that deserves much attention, and a place in everyone’s collection.
