This review is from: Backyard Babies (Audio CD) Arguably Backyard Babies' most consistently excellent release since Total 13, though they've never done a bad album, just one or two that maybe aren't quite as brilliant as the others. Sweden's finest and certainly most enduring band with an unchanged lineup going back over a decade now despite not achieving the large scale success they deserve, but as we all know there's no justice in the music biz.

For those of you not clued in, the Babies make melodic, sleazy hard rock with a punky edge in the vein of Appetite era G'n'R. I picked this CD up at the band's recent gig at Barfly in London and they pulled much of the set from the new album. While I'd never advocate dropping such classics as UFO Romeo, accommodating the new songs proved a wise move as FOAD, Degenerated, Idiots, Nomadic, and especially Come Undone are all superb and rock like muddafuggas. The latter is the pick of the bunch on this album -- catchy and uptempo and kickass, vintage Babies. Nicke even emerged for the encore to play his folky solo Saved By The Bell, featuring a lilting melody that makes the song work despite being a departure from the norm.

Dregen sings more lead on this album than on previous ones, but that's no bad thing as it mixes it up more with Nicke's trademark excellent raspy voice (he's never sounded more like Social Distortion's Mike Ness than on the Stonesy Back On The Juice, by the way). And while Dregen is no shredder, his guitar work remains as inspired as ever, always enhancing the songs and never lapsing into self-indulgence.

While a few of the songs aren't quite as immediate as the aforementioned ones, this album is a real grower and I found that a few spins of the whole thing while out and about in my car had me rapidly grooving to it all. There really isn't a bum track on it, although honourable mention must go to Zoe Is A Weirdo for the Ramonesy title alone. It's also another fine blast of Babies punk 'n' roll.

Backyard Babies produce consistently great albums and are a top live band. Long may they continue.