’16 Songs in Self Defense’ by The Base

Album is packed with great songs and twists. Another triumph for these Austrian rockers. If you’re not yet a fan, seek them out and you will be!



Buy It Now: 16 Songs In Self Defense

There are times when a CD comes in the mail and I know, without cutting thru the envelope’s seal or placing it into the player, that I am going to like it. And it’s not because of some selfish bias I may have from knowing that these talented people are beautiful souls and dear friends.

Long before I ever met The Base—and before I stayed for two weeks in the home of vocalist/guitarist Norbert Wally and his family in 2003—I was well aware of their music. I continue to be impressed by their prolific creativity ever since.

’16 Songs in Self Defense’ (in truth, there are only 15 tracks) is packed with the energy, passion and wit fans of the band have come to expect, but that does not mean it’s predictable. The one thing The Base has that so few bands have is a sense of the surreal as it pertains to the real.

Opening with the warped, gospel/blues of ‘If Yellow Makes You Happy’, the album launches right into the raw, rock essence of ‘Dirty Little Hole’. From there it takes the listener on a journey though styles and emotions.

Lyrics are askew, telling universal tales of love and life in atypical ways that feel more real than the norm. The listener is both challenged and comforted by the newness and the constant.

The newness comes from the innovative minds making the music who are altering ways to speak everyday truths. The constant comes from the palpable emotion in the performance. The rasp in the voice. The strain on the strings. The ramble of the rhyme. The steady of the beat. The buzz of the amps.

’16 Songs in Self Defense’ is another triumph for these Austrian rockers. If you are not yet a fan of The Base, seek them out and you will become one.

Sample Tracks:

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See Also:
The Base (myspace)
The Base (website)

Buy It Now:
16 Songs In Self Defense


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