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Labasheeda — Blueprints
(Bandcamp Presto Chango Records PCR 014, 2023, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-10-17

Blueprints Cover art

On Blueprints, Labasheeda presents eleven songs in their distinctive art-punk style, rather like a modern take on classic Siouxsie and the Banshees and Patti Smith. This time out, the band proper consists of Saskia van der Giessen (vocals, guitar, violin, viola, piano), Arne Wolfswinkel (guitar, bass, piano), and Bas Snabilie (drums, percussion, marimba, synthesizer), and various guests contribute strings and additional piano. Given the credited instrumentation, you might expect some kind of chamber rock or elaborate arrangements, but the majority of the music is squarely in an energetic punkish rock realm, with driving eighth notes and a steady beat, though full of unexpected twists. Often van der Giessen’s violin will either replace or supplement the electric guitar with a steady rhythm, doing this much more often than playing anything melodic. The chords often move in unexpected ways and have added dissonant notes, almost like a punk take on King Crimson. Use of the piano and other keyboards is rather sparse, playing a purely supporting role. “Volatile,” in spite of its title, is a tasty instrumental piece that is much more melodic on the violin, and “Procedure” is a moody song full of meter changes, with guitar taking a back seat to the strings. The less rock-oriented songs are all clustered in the second half of the album, which serves to take the nervous energy of the opening songs and funnel it into a more introspective, though still intense, mood. Saskia van der Giessen is a compelling singer, and Labasheeda provides a great vehicle for her distinctive voice.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases

Related artist(s): Labasheeda

More info
http://labasheeda.bandcamp.com/album/blueprints

 

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