Label: Code 7 Stereohead Records
John Bassett is not a name that is uppermost in many
people’s minds in progressive music circles, unless you are aware of his
involvement in KingBathmat, a progressive band with 7 albums under their belt,
but I believe all of that is about to change with the release of Unearth, his debut solo album.
John is a multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and
producer and is, as already mentioned, predominantly known for writing the
music and producing the albums for his band, KingBathmat, since 2003.
Unearth is
essentially an acoustic album and seems to have garnered a variety of comments
about how best to describe the music, but the press release suggests that the
album is a combination of progressive rock and psychedelic folk. It certainly is
not overtly progressive if you view the genre as containing complex time
signatures and the omnipresence of the mighty moog/mellotron, but the music
does show unusual song structures, meter changes and deep, meaningful, powerful
lyrics.
The album, Unearth,
is certainly a solo album in almost every sense of the word, with John
providing vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards and theramin, as well as sharing the
drum stool with Nathan A Summers. Indeed, not content with that, John also
recorded, produced, mixed and mastered the album.
Unearth is a 10 track album with a total playing time of
around 45 minutes and the shortest track on show is the final track, “The
Comedian,” clocking in at 3:31 minutes with the penultimate track, “Something
That’s More Worthwhile” the longest on the album at 7:43 minutes.
The opening track to any album has a tremendous weight on
its shoulders as it is responsible for the immediate gut reaction to the album.
“Stay Away From The Dark” (4:08), which also has a stunning video to check out,
is a superb introduction to the album, with an echoing piano and a guitar that sounds double tracked. The
lyrics, which are intense and hard hitting throughout, tell the story of a
decision that requires to be made while the beautifully played acoustic guitar
parts accentuate the melancholic nature that the music aurally paints. With
lines such as “with your certificate, you’re qualified to shovel dirt” and “now
don’t lose your spark, stay away from the dark,” the horns of a dilemma
scenario is set out.
“Survival Rate” (4:47), “Nothing Sacred” (3:35) and the
title track, “Unearth” (3:42) continue onward through this superbly intense
musical journey. “Survival Rate” has little encounters with mellotron,
keyboards and theramin, while “Nothing Sacred” is a more upbeat track with a
stunning bass line and Hammond organ and “Unearth” has a rich sound, with
superb acoustic guitars and the haunting line “you dig up the past and make
things worse, and then you will see what you unearth.”
Another “soft” track in the form of “Pantomime” (5:42)
follows with a sparse keyboard against acoustic guitars, drum and bass before
there is a gentle, almost unobtrusive synth passage which seems to ebb and
flow. This leads on to “Kylerhea” (4:41), an instrumental which has an
insistent drumbeat with the acoustic guitar replacing John’s voice and also one
of the most abrupt endings to a song I have heard. Everything fades to leave
the insistent drum again, but it seems to stop before you expect it to.
“TV is God” (3:44) and “Keep Dear” (4:04) are very
different tracks with the former showing drums, bass and a slightly discordant
guitar which then sweeps into guitar passages interwoven with more subdued
keyboards. “Keep Dear” sets up an almost countryside scenario with birdsong
leading into some more superb acoustic guitar work. You become aware that there
are two guitar parts and more unobtrusive keyboards as the song flows and
returns to let the birdsong take the track out.
The penultimate track, “Something That’s More Worthwhile”
(7:43) is an extended example of the music that has gone before. The keyboards
simmer away behind that very pleasing acoustic guitar and the song moves along
with some double tracking (?) of the vocals which get very close to becoming
dissonant, but manage to neatly sidestep the trap. The sound builds with the
electric guitar pushing the track along and there seem to be several cyclical
guitar passages, each trying to reach the spotlight as the track ends.
The final track, “Comedian” (3:31) commences with another
soundscape, this time using an alarm clock, singing birds and just the hint of
a city wakening up. Subdued piano behind the voice and acoustic guitar set the
scene for a relatively short track to bring the album to a close, returning to
the bird song merging again into the alarm clock/bell.
Unearth is
a gem of an album and seems to get it right on many different levels. The music
is mesmerizing, melancholic, rich and flows effortlessly along, drawing the
listener in; the voice has a characteristic uniqueness to it, in the way that
Roger Chapman (Family), Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator) and Mike
Kershaw voices possess, and the lyrics are deep thoughtful and incisive. Subtle
hooks, little riffs, passages, lines of lyrics, all quickly embed themselves in
the mind after only one play, then get stronger with every consecutive listen.
Both the stickers, “One to Buy” and “The Experience will
last Forever” are emblazoned on this album and no-one should miss out on this
release, so clear a space on your CD shelf/rack for John Bassett. This is yet
another contender when the albums of the year start getting talked about.
5/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Stay Away From the Dark, Unearth, Something That’s More Worthwhile
April 4, 2014
Tracks:
Stay Away From The Dark
Survival Rate
Nothing Sacred
Unearth
Pantomime
Kylerhea
Tv Is God
Keep Dear
Something That’s More Worthwhile
Comedian
Tracks:
Stay Away From The Dark
Survival Rate
Nothing Sacred
Unearth
Pantomime
Kylerhea
Tv Is God
Keep Dear
Something That’s More Worthwhile
Comedian
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