Concrete Playground

Melbourne band The Basics have just dropped a new album, titled Keep Your Enemies Close. Sometimes known as the side project of Wally de Backer (aka Gotye), it seems that Wally has taken a good break to focus on The Basics as they have been touring through Japan and the UK/Europe extensively. They're also currently doing a big national tour to support the album.

Lately they've dropped the barber shop shtick that they started out with and gotten away from the suits, the 50's kinda Buddy Holly vibe. I was mortified after listening to With This Ship, one of the tunes off the new album which has all the trappings of some big dumb emo band trying to pair it back to the basics (duh, no pun intended). But then, it seems this is a sore thumb on the otherwise ok pop album. Whilst the LP sees them struggling a little, or at least fossicking through genre and songs to become something more than an early Beatles incarnation, they are a good live band, and some of the songs would stand up nicely live, with the group of 3 talented musicians.

So, probably worth popping your head into The Factory.