Search - theSTART :: Ciao, Baby

When the World Needs a Beat(ing)

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 08/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Start has been around for a while - they've been touring solid for years now and have been doing pretty well when it comes to accompanying acts "of the moment." That says something on the ability of the band and their vocal style - so many sounds come and so many sounds go but The Start has managed to remain under the vocals of Aimee Echo (see cover photo). Better still as a testament to their endurance is the type of bands they run with, with the band kicking it with a montage of acts that vary both in their audio outlook and also in their respective genres. Their old label didn't quite appreciate all of this, however, from the work they put into building themselves up while in motion to the fans they've managed to accumulate through almost nonstop touring, but luckily Metropolis-Records was less nearsighted about the band and saw the potential as they picked up The Start rather quickly.

And now enter Ciao, Baby.



Everyone I know that has listened to the album all the way through has had nothing to say but good things about it. Ciao, Baby has a really good dance sound that makes you want to move, taking both the beats and the vocals and forging them into something that fits the dancefloor like a nicely woven sweater, and the undercurrent of material is really good to listen to and has a beautiful gem called substance sewn into it. I personally like catching little ballads with lines like "girl, tonight you were dead for a while" hidden in the lining because, well, its good stuff. Further, I saw them perform songs from this album not too long ago and kept thinking how well it sounded as the music coursed through the audience and entered my bloodstream, and even now I can still recall how well the flow of the music meshed with the atmosphere filling the room. That's one good thing about The Start - if you need something to take a room and turn its tempo toward both "pretty" and "party" you can do that without sacrificing quality.

Personally I like some of the hidden wording, the "I've done very bad things (and) I have no excuses."



If you're looking for something that fits the EBM/ electronic platform you've come to crave from your music, The Start is a healthy dose of goodness and will make you happy with your purchase. I am reminded somewhat of the 80s, a little of the clubbing 90s, and a pieces of the now. Female vocals, a good beat; sometimes you need something to get you past all the mundane music that haunts the world and this certainly helps matters a lot.

If you want to know more on the subject, go to Metropolis-Records and check them out. You should be pretty happy with the find.

"

Great album all-around

MiRSD | 06/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(actual score: 4.5)



I've been a fan of The Start for a few years now and have been anxiously anticipating this album. Nearly 3 hours since their last album comes "Ciao, Baby".



I've had the chance to listen to the album a few times through so far and am overall very happy with it - it keeps the "The Start" sound from the past albums and just improves on it. I was a bit worried with this as I've had a few of my favorite artists take a few years off and come back with a completely different (and not necessarily for the better) sound. One noticeable difference is the transfer towards the calmer tracks on this album - where the prior ones had fast paced "rock" songs, this one goes more for the slightly slower (or, when fast paced, disco/techno rock type songs).



Overall, it's a great album - aside from 1 or 2 tracks that I didn't care for all too much, I love almost every song on the disc. I was a bit disappointed with the low track count and play time (10 tracks clocking in at about 38 minutes) but it's better than nothing!



If you're a theSTART fan, do yourself a favor and pick this one up!"

Pure bliss

KM | Madison, WI USA | 06/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Ciao, Baby" is excellent. It's a very "dance-y" album, but some of the lyrics are much darker than the music would have you believe. It's closest in style to their first album, "Shakedown!".

As for comparisons to Gwen...Gwen's solo music is fluff, THIS has substance.

"Just A Fantasy," "Fix," and "Wartime" are my favorite tracks, but all of them are strong--I haven't found any that I want to skip past.

Aimee is a master with lyrics--you'll find yourself wanting to write some of the lines down and remember them. The vocals are sultry. And what's really impressive about this album is that Jamie did all the instruments himself, and flawlessly.



Trust me, this cd is worth it for the album art alone..."