It's unusual for a band to call it a day when their success is only about to sky-rocket. Over the past couple of years, many bands have sadly broken up though normally while they were on the descend, so to hear that Basement were wishing us a farewell was a massive surprise and was to my great despair. After the release of their standout debut album I Wish I Could Stay Here, it was almost inevitable that soon enough Basement would become essential listening for any melodic hardcore fan. Unfortunately, colourmeinkindness will have to be our goodbye.
Basement were always going to have a tough job with producing their final album, an album which would be the album that everyone would remember most clearly and associate most with them. They had to encompass both their raw hardcore style and their soulful sound which became distinctive in Basement's I Wish I Could Stay Here, and they did just that.
colourmeinkindness gracefully takes you on a trip down memory lane, beautifully tying in elements from 90's emo as well as grunge influences, without losing sense of who they are. Whole seamlessly flows on from I Wish I Could Stay Here, reminding us of their phenomenal debut and their gruff yet thick melodic style. Covet is profoundly contrasting in its melancholy and soothing spellbinding vocals. Then Basement masterfully switches back to the more punk driven Spoiled.
colourmeinkindness is not just simply a timeline of both Basement's short-lived, yet brilliant life, and of the progression of emo into melodic hardcore; it's also a deeply personal and touching album. Breathe for me is a stepping stone in the album, a sort of mark of change for Basement as well. You feel as though you are peering deep into the heart of Basement as a band, not just lyrically but musically as well. Yes, I Wish I Could Stay Here, did feature some tracks of the more sorrowful disposition such as Ellipses, but Breathe is bursting with emotion. It's an outstandingly pensive and passionate track. You can hear Andrew Fisher's voice almost cracking with desperation over the held back gentle bass as it masterfully changes mood and pace.
Basement then gradually wind down ready to send the final goodbyes. Even though the album is decreasing in pace, it is only intensifying in emotion towards its finale. The short Comfort is stunning and mournful yet subtle in its peacefulness which culminates into the climax, the epilogue, the conclusion to the album and of Basement's career, Wish which retreats to an ominous and eerie bridge to erupt into the sounds of crashing drums and guitars to end it all.
And so it is, Basement's last ever album. colourmeinkindness is beautifully balanced between both the heartbreak of the farewell but also of the celebration of an illustrious career that was all too short-lived. And come Saturday 17th November, I'm sure they'll go out with a bang as well as a few tears as Basement play colourmeinkindness for the first and last time.
And here it is, my first ever perfect rating!
Overall rating: 10/10
You can listen to the album now on http://www.rocksound.tv/features/article/basement1
or download from http://runforcoverrecords.bandcamp.com/album/colourmeinkindness for only $5.
Album comes out 22nd October.
I will be reviewing their last ever show on the 17th November (which just so happens to be my birthday!) at Camden Underworld.
Basement were always going to have a tough job with producing their final album, an album which would be the album that everyone would remember most clearly and associate most with them. They had to encompass both their raw hardcore style and their soulful sound which became distinctive in Basement's I Wish I Could Stay Here, and they did just that.
colourmeinkindness gracefully takes you on a trip down memory lane, beautifully tying in elements from 90's emo as well as grunge influences, without losing sense of who they are. Whole seamlessly flows on from I Wish I Could Stay Here, reminding us of their phenomenal debut and their gruff yet thick melodic style. Covet is profoundly contrasting in its melancholy and soothing spellbinding vocals. Then Basement masterfully switches back to the more punk driven Spoiled.
colourmeinkindness is not just simply a timeline of both Basement's short-lived, yet brilliant life, and of the progression of emo into melodic hardcore; it's also a deeply personal and touching album. Breathe for me is a stepping stone in the album, a sort of mark of change for Basement as well. You feel as though you are peering deep into the heart of Basement as a band, not just lyrically but musically as well. Yes, I Wish I Could Stay Here, did feature some tracks of the more sorrowful disposition such as Ellipses, but Breathe is bursting with emotion. It's an outstandingly pensive and passionate track. You can hear Andrew Fisher's voice almost cracking with desperation over the held back gentle bass as it masterfully changes mood and pace.
Basement then gradually wind down ready to send the final goodbyes. Even though the album is decreasing in pace, it is only intensifying in emotion towards its finale. The short Comfort is stunning and mournful yet subtle in its peacefulness which culminates into the climax, the epilogue, the conclusion to the album and of Basement's career, Wish which retreats to an ominous and eerie bridge to erupt into the sounds of crashing drums and guitars to end it all.
And so it is, Basement's last ever album. colourmeinkindness is beautifully balanced between both the heartbreak of the farewell but also of the celebration of an illustrious career that was all too short-lived. And come Saturday 17th November, I'm sure they'll go out with a bang as well as a few tears as Basement play colourmeinkindness for the first and last time.
And here it is, my first ever perfect rating!
Overall rating: 10/10
You can listen to the album now on http://www.rocksound.tv/features/article/basement1
or download from http://runforcoverrecords.bandcamp.com/album/colourmeinkindness for only $5.
Album comes out 22nd October.
I will be reviewing their last ever show on the 17th November (which just so happens to be my birthday!) at Camden Underworld.
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