The Basics - The Basics

The Basics' live album moves away from the 'new and mature' sound of last full length Keep Your Friends Close and returns to the rocking sound that gets punters jumping up and down on the carpet

The Basics have gone Buddhist! Released on the net as a free download, The Basics sees the Melbourne boys drop a rocking set in front of a loyal crowd at the Northcote Social Club. Amidst the sharp suits and sticky carpet is a solid collection of back catalogue tracks, a few iffy covers and all the bands’ strengths and weaknesses pulled into sharp focus, enjoyable and grating in turn.

Openers The No. 1 Cause of Death Amongst Youth Today and Better set things off on the right foot, a swift one two of tight harmonies, snappy riffs and generally pleasant, mildly derivative songwriting. Likewise, Second Best, Just Hold On and the decidedly Police-esque Looking Over My Shoulder all showcase Gotye’s Wally De Backer’s vocal chops and knack for a catchy tune. All are cracking tracks that would easily sit on a classic rock radio playlist had they been written forty years ago by someone more famous.

Despite the bells and whistles of the live performance (the Northcote Horns are a nice addition to several tracks), The Basics’ Achilles Heel is also blatantly evident for all to hear. It’s as simple as this - bassist and lead singer Kris Schroeder isn’t a great vocalist. For a punter dancing away pumping one fist in air and clutching a beer in the other, this fact can easily be overlooked. But on a sharp recording and lacking the ‘in the moment’ experience, Schroeder’s vocals fail to cut the mustard. Like A Brother and The Executioner both suffer from dreary vocal posturing while U R the 1 serves up cheesy lyrics galore (try 'I just want to touch you, but I don’t want to rush you, that’s how much I love you' on for size) and a pretentious spoken word mid-section… it’s the most cringe worthy moment on the album. 

That said, the good moments here far outweigh the bad and The Basics is a solid live album. It's a great starting point for new listeners and a nice snapshot of a band that have now spend almost 10 years doing the rounds on the Melbourne/Australian scene and have carved themselves an impressive niche. Overall it’s an enjoyable listen and for the price you couldn’t ask for anything more.

Download a free copy of The Basics at http://thebasics.bandcamp.com/