The Lovely Basement “Lowlands”

Captivating Velvet Underground-inspired indie that’s as much West Country as alt-country.

Bristol-based four-piece, The Lovely Basement, release their fourth album of jangly, indie-rock while managing to infuse shades of alt-country into their distinctive mix. The album opens with ‘Cornstalk Girl’, and the opening guitar riff brought to mind classic Pavement, but that comparison is quickly dispelled when Katie Scaife’s vocals come in. Scaife has a great indie voice: shades of early Debbie Harry, Nico, Chrissie Hynde or former Dream Syndicate co-founder and leading light in the Paisley Underground, Kedra Smith perhaps?

It’s track two, ‘Fifth Column’, that really sets out the primary influence behind the band. The woozy strumming and simple, single-string guitar bends are pure post-Velvet Underground gorgeousness. The band are on record as saying that they set out to mix alt-country with the Velvet Underground. They’re also on record as admitting that they failed. And they might have a point. Across the first few tracks, there’s a lot of Velvet Underground, but much less evidence of the alt-country. There are many wonderful bands who owe a big creative debt to The Velvet Underground: R.E.M., Yo La Tengo, The Strokes, Dream Syndicate, Television, Galaxy 500 and many more. On “Lowlands”, The Lovely Basement make a good case to be included in that stellar grouping.

So what about these alt-country claims? Sure, there’s definitely something in there. Like in that way that the Velvets tracks ‘Train Round The Bend’ or ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ arguably gave a loose country feel to “Loaded“. And a bit like with “Loaded“, the alt-country leanings aren’t really fully revealed until side two. Title track, ‘Lowlands’ has some neat twanging guitar and some very nice, understated swooping steel guitar. Next up, ‘Barrabas’ and ‘Dust Patterns’ are perhaps the most alt-country offerings on the album, with the pedal steel a little more prominent and a big, rumbling, twangy guitar solo on the latter… and very fine they both are too. Penultimate track, ‘Mostly Wrong’ made me think of Blur’s ‘Park Life’ but only in a good way. Rounding it all off, that big, fat, twanging guitar reappears for the final track, the aptly titled ‘Goodbye’.

There’s a lyrical depth to these songs, too. In the band’s words, “Lowlands covers a range of subjects. From musings on sentience, inequality, globalisation, even theology, to the deep need to hunker down with good friends when the world outside gets too much.” Amen to that.

So there you have it, ten superb examples of indie songwriting, beautifully played and produced and fronted by some very memorable vocals. And yes, more than just a hint of alt-country. A very enjoyable listen.