Record of the Week 15/10/2011

Basement – I Wish I Could Stay Here (Run For Cover
Records)



Melodic hardcore has never had it so good. However if you think of the bands currently making music in that specific genre over the pond you might be forgiven for thinking ‘Where did all the Brits go?’.

Well Basement, if you’ve never heard of them before, are the answer to that question. Britain, or to be more precise Norfolk’s answer to Title Fight et al and band most likely to generate obscene amounts of hype wherever they go in the foreseeable future. Following from the EP ‘Songs About The Weather’ their debut LP ‘I Wish I Could Stay Here’ is a chance to prove that hype really doesn’t destroy every band it touches.

The first thing you notice about the album is that it’s pretty dam short. Twenty eight minutes of fast paced music with an average song length of somewhere around the two and a half minute mark. Just enough time to grab your attention but also have you looking at you stereo in confusion when it stops making noise less than half an hour after you put the CD in.

But what of the actual music?

Well to summarise, the album is full of absolute belters. Opening track ‘Fading’ burst into life with its love sick chorus (‘’Cause in my head I heard you call my name/ I’m breaking down/ I’m fading’) before merging seamlessly into ‘Plan To Be Surprised’ that romps along at breakneck speed for its first half before backing off into a slower final section complete with more loved up lyrics (‘Please let me in/ It’s cold outside/ And I’m not going anywhere’).

‘Crickets Throw Their Voices’ and ‘Every Single Word’ follow a similar pattern, fast paced with slower, instrumental breakdowns and the former containing the lyrics that give the album its name. It is worth mentioning at this point that although much of the music is all in a very similar vein (fast, power chord driven rhythm guitar with a minimalistic lead part over the top) it never becomes generic or boring. This is perhaps one of the things about Basement that makes them such a likeable band; they really do know how to write all the aspects of a good song. It isn’t a case of relying on the lyrics and energy to cover the fact you only know three chords; its more having the lyrics, energy and knowing how to put a guitar part together so it doesn’t sound like every other one you’ve written.



Of course if you give the album even a cursory listen you’ll know that not every track fits the template described above. Third (and longest) track ‘Canada Square’ builds up slowly over lyrics about ‘empty covers’ before flourishing into life. ‘Earl Grey’ goes even further. For over a minute the music wanders about in a fashion that is more than a little spaced out, accompanying the what is possibly the album’s most touchingly simple lyric (‘I looked up at your window/ Pretended I could see you/ You don’t live there anymore’) before the chords kick in. By the time the song is over the whole thing has dissolved into guitar noise as singer Andrew Fisher declares ‘You made the best impression/ Perfection on the page/ The wildest hearts will never be tamed’. One of the albums stand out tracks.

And if you want any more proof that Basement are a bit more off the wall than your average emo/hardcore band the track that follows provides it. No lyrics here, ‘Elipses’ is just three minutes and forty seconds of winding instrumental that is pure Christie Front Drive. You didn’t expect that did you?

If you want a (fairly) short summary, it is an album that if going to surprise you. Just when you think you’ve settled into a musical grove and know what’s going on there will be a subtle change and suddenly you’re somewhere you weren’t expecting. If you like your sing/shout alongs delivered with a dose of intelligence this is an album for you. A blend of pop-punk, melodic hardcore and classic emo that will leave you more than satisfied and provide some genuinely beautiful moments.

It is also, if my take on the lyrics is right, a rather spectacular break up album. If you’re into this kind of music and happen to get dumped, take a listen, it’ll be worth it.

And on that rather depressing note I’ll just say, go and buy this album, it’s been out since July (so why I’m only just reviewing it now is a mystery). At the very least fire up Spotify and give it a whirl, even if you’re not a hardcore fan I think you’ll find something to enjoy.