Lazy Travellers is the third album by Bristol band The Lovely Basement, it was recorded and produced by Buns Munson at the Red Room in Bristol. The Lovely Basement are Katie Scaife, Steve Dew, Paul Waterworth and Kevin Bache.
The album opens with What I Like that name checks some of my dad's favourite heroes, from the Tolpuddle Martyrs to the Cable Street rioters (some of whom he knew), through to good ole Tony Benn and lots of other heroes to be proud of, this for me will always evoke memories of dad insisting we went on pilgrimage to Tolpuddle while on holiday in Bournemouth in about 1971.
Gas Station With A Bar makes me think of Gas Stations in Europe, especially in France where you can see the Police Motorcyclists having a beer before going back on patrol, as this gently evokes a world of Art Deco bars attached to old petrol stations, set against nicely laid back country rock.
Brown Street Library almost sounds like loaded era Velvet Underground but with sonorous female vocals singing about bringing down Ian Brown, I guess the one they named a train after rather than the one known as monkey boy.
Wooden Leg is far more rueful a look at someone managing to lose their Wooden Leg than Mike Absalom's Laura The Leg, although they may have been equally pie-eyed, this is far less salacious.
Two Kinds Of Stupid is a slow strummed paean, to the ever bickering lovers, as they fall out once again, while sounding like Kirsty MaColl fronting The Rockingbirds.
Wait A Minute has that Loaded country-tinged rock sound down perfect, for a good sing along, as I'm sure you'll be shouting the title along with them in no time at all, on this rather cool and catchy song, as you allow Katie to follow you out of that door for a wild adventure or two.
Ghosts Of The Listening Post takes them out onto the pampas riding the range and stopping by a Listening Post, hearing echoes of times gone by, as they colour in the details of what's been stirred up, a grand landscape appears mirage like in your mind.
Mysterious Ways is borderline spoken word descriptive song about life and the things it throws up, to give the devil work to do, as he taps you on the shoulder, suggesting all sorts of ways to scratch that itch that never goes away, as the slide guitar seems to take Gods side to rein Satan in, as I'm sure most listeners will read their own meaning into this rather intriguing song.
Gasometro is sung in sun dappled Spanish, like a countrified Damon & Naomi, with a slight laid back manana feel of one more sad hit.
The album closes with the rather downbeat Lee Raymond Knows, quite what he knows is another question entirely, as this tale gently unfolds, it feels very close miked, with super sparing percussion, trying to solve global warming by following Lee's example of drilling for ever more oil, while knowing the truth of the damage his company wrought on the planet.
Find out more at https://thelovelybasement.bandcamp.com/album/lazy-travellers https://noaloharecords.bandcamp.com/album/lazy-travellers https://www.facebook.com/TheLovelyBasement
