Birds Make Birds EP

It's been a while since I last checked out Birds Make Birds, so I didn't realize they had an EP out.  Many of the songs that impressed me most in their live performances made the cut, so this brief (5 song) EP is a solid effort throughout.  "Closer," "Waiting For Tomorrow," and "Jack" are memorable tunes with melodies that stick in one's head.  Birds Make Birds has a great sound - emo without being mopey, heavy but still melodic - and it really comes through on these tunes.

The production is very clear and polished.  This is great for accentuating the subtleties of lead singer / guitarist Sandrine Mehry's voice and words, Greg Lyon's guitar riffs, and Chris Mascara's bass lines, but Jen Chouinard's drumming, so impressive live, is dulled a little bit by the production.  The mix is almost too clean, making every note heard but losing some of the punk attack of their live act.

Still, the songs are great, and the band sounds very good, and the price is right (free)!  Check it out!

Download the album for free from Reverb Nation

Live Review - 2/26/2010 Birds Make Birds at New Alliance Studios

I had seen Birds Make Birds at The Cantab Lounge, but that was a while ago and the lineup has been overhauled quite a bit. All four members are skilled musicians, and the chemistry is evident, with guitarist / singer Sandrine Mehry joking with bassist Ethan Dussault prior to the final song. The standout is drummer Jen Chouinard, who attacked the drums with blazing energy and kept things from getting too mopey.

Mopey? Well, the band lives in minor keys and Mehry's voice clings to the low registers, so things have a tendency to get a bit ... you know, the three-letter word that starts with "e" and ends with "o" and has "m" in the middle. Sometimes a nice mopey emo song really hits the spot, and Birds Make Birds got there on "Wishing It Was Tomorrow," with a chorus driven by the soaring guitars of Mehry and Greg Lyon and the catchy couplet "If I was waiting for a sign / I got it today."

At times things can get a bit formulaic - Afghan Whigs-style guitar riffs over power chords, Mehry's downer vocals, and the capable rhythm section of Chouinard and Dussault. It's a good formula, but some of the best moments were when they deviated a bit, such as the poppier "Jack." As Birds Make Birds progresses, it will be interesting to see if they really spread their wings.

Birds Make Birds Site