Amazing Baby was an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band based in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

in 2008. The band began as an after-work collaboration between Will Roan, Will Berman and Simon O'Connor, who had known one another from the Brooklyn music scene, and who were working at the same

ringtone A ringtone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming telephone call. Originally referring to the sound of electromechanical striking of bells or gongs, the term refers to any sound by any device alerting of an incoming call. On p ...

company. The band's debut album ''

Rewild ''Rewild'' is the debut album by Amazing Baby and it was released on June 22, 2009. The album received a varied response from critics, and did not chart in either Europe or the United States. Track listing #"Bayonets" #"Invisible Palace" #"K ...

'' was released in June 2009. O'Connor, Berman, and Roan wrote new material for their forthcoming album in 2010, tentatively titled "Ice Water", and are currently recording with the band and producer/engineer Emery Dobyns.

Critical reception

The band's debut LP ''Rewild'' received a varied response from critics and failed to chart. They have been criticized for being known more for their sense of fashion and connections to popular bands than for their musical talent, The ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' reviewer wrote, "Channeling glam, metal, punk,

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

, and experimental noise, ''Rewild'' is like a tour through a psychedelic fantasyland, featuring visions, hallucinations, and glimpses of death. Roan coaxes with an almost deliriously euphoric art-rock swagger (see reggae jam "Roverfrenz" and infectious chant-along "Smoke Bros"), while O'Connor infuses every track with hedonistic energy. " ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' when describing Amazing Baby wrote, "On their stunning debut album Rewild (out this month), Amazing Baby deliver tunes that are at times thoroughly vintage and refreshingly futuristic: "The Narwhal" sounds like Led Zeppelin at their druggiest and most mystical; "Invisible Place" soars and swoops like Pink Floyd's "Echoes" and "Kankra" builds into such an anthemic frenzy, you'll be oozing serotonin for days. The crew also have a wonky sense of humor, especially on tunes like the scuzzed-out jam "Smoke Bros," which features stoner-appropriate ruminations like "She protects her animals/ We are starving cannibals.". While reviewer Christian Hoard wrote, "On their debut, the quintet spread the arty Cheez Whiz like

MGMT MGMT () is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, Ben Goldwasser. Originally signed to Cantora Records by the nascent ...

and

Yeasayer Yeasayer () was an American experimental rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2006. The band consisted of Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder. They announced their split on December 19, 2019. History Formation The band's thr ...

while bringing a stronger Sixties-pop influence, specifically with swirling keyboards with melodies that recall

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

and

the Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...

. "Roverfrenz," an airy synth fantasia with

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is cha ...

-ish percussion, gets by on neato textures instead of sharp tunes. In general, ''Rewild'' could use a little more of the latter, but who has time for that when you're knee-deep in giant guitars and weird ambient vocalizations?" Amazing Baby got a lot of buzz, it seemed people were jealous or angry that these kids could grow so fast and become so popular while not exactly doing things "by the book". Pitchfork wrote, "Coming straight out of Wesleyan to score a ton of SXSW buzz, bro-ing down with MGMT, getting breathless future-of-the-scene press from Interview and Rolling Stone and The Guardian, strutting around in 1971 cosplay while rolling their eyes at journalists..."

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2009)

EPs

* ''Infinite Fucking Cross'' (2008) (digital only)

Singles

* "Pump yr Brakes" (2008) * "Bayonets" (2009) * "Headdress" (2009) * "Supreme Being" (2009)

References

External links

Amazing Baby bio on billboard.com
{{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Brooklyn