October 15th, 2012 
Tyler Osborne 
Band: Basement
Album: colourmeinkindness
Genre: Punk
Label: Run For Cover Records
I’ve been dreading writing this review, because I knew that it was going to be very difficult to write without a biased ear. I also didn’t want to write this as an obituary of sorts. This is Basement’s last album. Basement was a band from the UK that wasn’t around (Wow, I’m talking in the past tense), and I had the pleasure of seeing them on their first US tour the Summer of 2011. When I was first introduced to them I loved their 7 inch Songs About The Weather. Their debut full-length I Wish I Could Stay Here was one of my favorite albums of 2011. So when colourmeinkindness was announced with the news that this was their last album, I was gutted. This band has meant a lot to me in the short time they have been in my life, so I was not looking forward to hearing their last effort in fear that I may not like it. I wanted my memory of Basement to be golden, I wanted my memories of seeing them with some of my closest friends in a dive bar to be what was remembered. So when I was given the opportunity to have an early listen of colourmeinkindness, I went in with a nervous impulse that needed to be acted upon. That being said: colourmeinkindness is satisfying and great way to end Basement’s musical career.
If you’re looking for I Wish I Could Stay Here part two, just turn around and find another band to listen to, because colourmeinkindness is not that album. While you can hear the obvious Basement sound of rough guitars and self-deprecating lyrics, Basement takes their musicianship to new heights. With an influence from nineties emo and Nirvana, Basement creates a new soundscape that I personally am in love with. I think what the band does well is mix these new sounds in with their established punk vibe to create a more unique album than they could have if they just tried to go the same route as I Wish I Could Stay Here. While there are songs that sound like they are straight out of the Basement back catalog (“Whole,” “Spoiled”) there are others where they sound like a new band with a new energy.
Lyrically, the colourmeinkindness deals a lot with love, moving on, loss, and finding your place, which is not unmarked territory, especially for this band. However the lyrics are inventive enough where you don’t think about the rehash of ideas. “Covet” has such a great sound to it that had me hooked the minute is started listening to the album, however the song I think that has the most lasting power on the record is it’s final track, “Wish.” It’s a perfect buildup and finale to colourmeinkindness, and honestly makes me sad to know that it was the last new track that I was going to listen to by them. When their singer let’s loose the lyrics “Green eyes on a blue eyed child, please can you stay a while” I almost lost it, because those were my exact feelings for the band. Cliché, I know, but I needed to say it. It’s hard watching a band go, especially when they just put out some of their best musicianship.
Basement is one of those bands that has a reason for every lyric and every guitar bend, and it’s very evident on colourmeinkindness. They purposely put “Wish” as last, and made the build up and rousing finish as beautiful as they possibly could, and I thank them for that. A lot of the time when bands announce they are doing the last of something, they rarely have weight that I feel is necessary to celebrate the end. Colourmeinkindness is the kind of record kids will be talking about for years as an album from a band that went too soon. They put out a fantastic, what could have been a gamechanging album for them, and then they decide to move on. There’s something really to be said about that, not pushing too much of a good thing on people, to the point where your perception of the band gets distorted from what they were to what they are now. I don’t look forward to the inevitability of that with some of my favorite bands, and while I’m sad to see them go, I’m glad Basement never wavered and kept their vision for their music honest and strong. Guys, thank you so much for the music you have produced over these last few years. Meeting you all in Philadelphia was fantastic, colourmeinkindness is a fantastic final piece of work, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors. While I know this is goodbye, I can’t help but ask you if it could be a see you soon.
SCORE: 9.5/10
Written with love: Tyler Osborne
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Great review man, I totally feel the same way
Honestly can’t remember the last time I read a review where I agreed so much with the reviewer. You said everything that needed to be said. Great review.