Published on Sep 19, 2003
It’s a rare thing when a band’s name sums them up perfectly. In
the case of Mishawaka, Indiana’s The Basics, it’s damn near
perfect. The trio of Doug Cowen, Ben Hajaj, and Charley Neises
plays unadulterated, uncomplicated pop-rock, hearkening back to
artists like Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers, or The Smithereens. Basics indeed.
The difficulty with this is that so few bands who play this
style do it well; it’s really hard to rise above the morass of
three-chord mediocrity. The Basics, on the other hand, do an
excellent job of being more than three chords and a cloud of dust;
their style may be basic, but don’t sell their skill short. On
their first CD,
Bitter/Sweet, The Basics are already showing a studied
effortlessness that a lot of bands take years to reach, or never
reach at all.
Bitter/Sweet is, to steal a phrase, only rock and roll, but
I like it. The musicianship of the three members is competent
without being unbalanced; they trade time in the musical forefront,
blending perfectly to form an almost flawless wall of sound. While
I hate falling back on comparisons, the Smithereens example is
appropriate; certain parts of
Bitter/Sweet, especially “In A Crowded Room” and “What If
And What Is,” remind me of the first time I heard “Behind The Wall
Of Sleep.” These guys make plain ol’ rock and roll sound polished
and smooth without sacrificing the essential simplicity of the
songs.
Other exceptional tracks include the driving, powerful “Does The
Bottle Burn?”; the acoustic-laced “So Lame” with its hints of the
Troggs and the Who; the driving tom-tom and distorted background
vocals on “Every Day Rain”; and the cheery roots swing of “Little
Fool.” My favorite track, however, has to be the haunting “City Of
The Dead/Long Way To Hell,” which takes every “Last Kiss”
cliché in rock history and actually makes them scary. Tres
cool.
The Basics have recently signed with a major label, and I think
they’ve got a great future ahead of them.
Bitter/Sweet is one of the most solid debut albums I’ve ever
seen, and these Hoosiers are worth watching — and purchasing for
yourself.
For more information on The Basics, visit
http://www.dougcowenandthebasics.com.