The long-awaited debut from Omagh’s THE BASEMENT is here. ‘Illicit Hugs And Playground Thugs’ showcases the country/blues sound of this band of indie troubadors, whilst the record’s title gives away the secret of their tender years.
Youngsters they may well be, but their mission to delve deep into their father’s record collections has resulted in songwriting that is mature and reflective. Lead singer John Mullin doesn’t try to stem his broad accent, and this adds an element of folk-tinged honesty to the mid-tempo shuffle that lies at the centre of their sound.
‘Summertimes’, with the brushes hitting the cymbals and that clear as crystal lead guitar style, is a wonderfully throwaway slice of pop straight off the jukebox. The melody twists and turns without leaving you behind. ‘It Won’t Be Long’ sounds raw, like a demo, and therein lies the appeal. There are few effects, resulting in the direct connection between the music and your ears that lets the songs straight into your heart or head.
The downtrodden ‘When Tomorrow Comes’ is layered with cool Hammond organ grooves that both assist and initiate the myriad key changes in this kick-can tale of despair. The cycle of depression is wound in on itself and the summery lead guitar only emphasises the introspection. ‘When The Night Goes Blue’ is an escapist retreat from the Troubles at street level, that half-step shuffle at peace with itself despite the permanent effects of war being ingrained into the texture of the song.
‘I Just Caught A Face’, the new single, is a jingle-jangle ditty in full technicolour. The smoky working-men’s club acoustics and the over and over again refrain are lovely, and with the pop muse sitting pretty on the organ in this jingle-jangle tale of lost love, we hear the everyday sound of a town that just ain't big enough a place to let you forget.
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All in all, there is something reminiscent of the C4 film ‘Dancing Thru The Dark’ about this little lot. I picture the small-town lad made big, returning home to find his never-forgotten childhood sweetheart locked in an unhappy marriage: the spark is still there, and will you be able to make our gig on Saturday? Knowing that she’ll be there because there’s sod all else to do in this town. They capture that essence superbly, the places where you can (& will) run into your ex-lover in the street, causing curtains to twitch with anticipation. This is communicated well in their live shows, where they are easy under the glare of the public eye.
It makes me think about the 24-hour surveillance in the North, and the pressures that go with it. Where being a misunderstood teenager is a high stakes, big-risk business.
The escapism is there for all to hear, and I think that’s the compelling element of their music. That desire has brought them here, and their vaudeville style is straight out of there. Pleasing to the ear, and rhyming without fail throughout, these shuffling tales of love and loss stare at broken dreams from the pavement outside a heaving bar full of revellers. The moments of peace a Godsend in a shrinking world you’ve done to death with most of your life still left to live.
www.thebasement.co.uk
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