Basics, The - Lookin' Over My Shoulder (EP)
» The Basics Northcote Residency - May 2, 2010
» The Basics - John Curtin Hotel, VIC - June 6, 2009
» The Basics - St Martins Theatre, VIC - April 18, 2009
» The Basics - Waltz Down Memory Lane - April 9, 2008
» The Basics: Rattling chains - November 19, 2007
» The Basics - St Martins Theatre, VIC - April 18, 2009
» The Basics - East Brunswick Club Hotel, Vic - December 5, 2008
Those of you familiar with this grey-suit-wearing trio will know they play a 50’s and 60’s inspired rock n’ roll, with notoriously brilliant three-part harmonies. Live, The Basics are unfaultable, which might explain their decision to include three live tracks on their new EP. The lead single however, 'Lookin’ Over My Shoulder', sees the Melbourne lads at their studio-recorded best.
'Lookin’ Over My Shoulder' opens with vocals that should be familiar to most. They belong to Wally De Backer, who you probably know better as ‘Gotye’, the Triple J favourite responsible for 'Heart’s A Mess' and 'Learnalilgivinanlovin’ among others. The song has an 80’s reggae feel, with obvious influence by bands like The Police. The inclusion of a flute (I think it’s a flute, could be some sort of weird pan pipe) is an interesting choice that somehow works well. The chorus is driven by The Basics’ signature harmonies and De Backer’s impeccable percussion. Overall the song is a frustratingly catchy and it’s worth searching out the film clip to it on YouTube.com for a laugh.
The only other studio-recorded track is 'You Will Know What’s Right'. It’s a driving rock number and this time the role of lead singer is undertaken by bassist Kriss Schroeder. While it has its moments (a nice lo-fi guitar solo stands out), the song seems a little forced and was lost on me.
The rest of the EP is made up by three live tracks recorded at Melbourne institution The Espy on September 29 last year. First up is 'Better', a cruising rock song which again sees De Backer belting out some impressive lead vocals. The song is decked out with cruising Rhodes keys and despite the shallow mix, is surprisingly cohesive.
The EP also includes a live version of The Kinks classic, 'All The Day and All Of The Night'. While it suffers from the odd bit of feedback and dud note on guitar it still manages to get across what The Basics are all about… classic rock n roll. Rinse and repeat for 'Call it Rhythm and Blues', which puts the EP to bed.
While many bands are turning to the late 60’s and 70’s to recreate the done-to-death Black Sabbath sound, The Basics rework an era that was more about songwriting than eating bats and muddy distortion. Sure, later moments of the EP can seem a bit forced and even out of place, but the title track 'Lookin’ Over My Shoulder' is a brilliant pop song and a perfect example of why you should never underestimate The Basics.
