THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE PINS AND NEEDLES ALBUM DEPENDENT, SOUND POLLUTION RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

The kind of musical hybrid represented by the likes of The Birthday Massacre has never quite impressed me, but has been appreciated by many within the electronic genres. Their brand of catchy metal fused with ambient synths has always felt too North American for my taste, but with "Pins and Needles", while still wailing away at the energetic guitars, their soft spots manage to touch something in me.

A vibrant pop sensibility is present all through the album and it makes me wonder what could have happened if "Pins and Needles" had been stripped of some of those annoyingly similar metal riffs present in every single track. Their more atmospheric moments are magnificent and the songwriting is undeniably fantastic. The mix by Dave "Rave" Ogilivie (Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails) is top notch.

I know most people want to keep The Birthday Massacre as they are, but my synthetic heart would love to hear more minimally crafted and less bombastic material from them in the future.

NIKLAS FORSBERG