Baby Warfare

Album Review

Apparently they still love pop in all its spangled 1970s-style glory in Norway — or if they don't, Deleted Waveform Gatherings are doing everything in their power to persuade their Scandinavian peers of the virtues of Badfinger, Big Star, and the Raspberries. While DWG display a clear melodic debt to those and a number of similar bands on their second album, Baby Warfare, they also show off an energy and a willingness to experiment with formula that suggest they've also spent a few evenings studying the work of latter-day pop revivalists such as the dB's and Game Theory. But even though DWG are willing to add some quirky wrinkles around the edges and play a bit with the structure of the traditional three-minute tune, Baby Warfare is faithful enough to the original source to satisfy most purists as well as contemporary hipsters with a taste for a good hook, and DWG's songwriting chops are just as strong as their commendable level of studio craftsmanship. Singer and guitarist Oyvind Holm wrote the bulk of these 12 tunes, and he can deliver a song with a touch of glam swagger ("Tiger Rider"), an air of psychedelic drift ("Good as Gone"), or some proto-punk snark ("All Our Futures") without losing focus on the band's melodic virtues. And Holm's bandmates play this music with technical skill, emotional drive, and flat-out joy, with guitarist Hogne Galaen, drummer Freddy Bolso, and keyboard man Anbjorn Viem sounding especially impressive. Add the clean but forceful production from Thomas Henriksen and you get a great example of pure pop for now (or then) people — Deleted Waveform Gatherings have a clear sense of history but they're not stuck in the past, and Baby Warfare is a splendid fusion of classic influences and original inspiration.