Album title:
Charity Box
Artist:
Labasheeda
Label:
Self Released
Hmmm, a wiser man than me once gave sage advice on songwriting and performance: don't be boring! It seems obvious now, but it's amazing how many bands lose sight of this basic rule, especially in a culture which awards Oasis for an 'outstanding contribution to music'. Melodic indie rock played on baritone guitars and electric violins as well as all the usual instrumentation? Tasty. But Labasheeda's appeal lies not with their instrumentation, but rather their cunning way of being all crazy and experimental with it, without ever breaking a melody… even when they sound like drums falling down stairs, it's a drum-falling-down-stairs tune you can hum in the shower. When bands so often sacrifice melody for excitement, or vice versa, it's disarming to hear a group such as this Amsterdam based gang of internationals demonstrate that the two are not incongruent. [Ali Maloney]