In a basement far, far away…Well, the basement wasn't that far away but it was a basement in which I first encountered a five piece band called The Rudiments and now they have released a five track EP called "Along The Bottom".
The thing that struck me most about The Rudiments when I saw them in that basement was that they still used melody in their songs (as opposed to the commonplace sonic assault of overdriven guitars) and that same use of melody is carried over into the songs on this EP. The title track, for example, has a mellow, almost folk rock feel using the time tried approach of using hushed harmonies to soak up the sweat from your fevered brow. "No Meat, No Money", on the other hand, comes over like something liberated from a movie soundtrack by John Barry but, whilst diligently fashioned, is again distinctly mellow and understated.
I was thinking of who I could compare this band to and came up with The Smiths or, perhaps more accurately, their modern day progeny like the Felt Tips and while the lyrics sometimes suggest a mellow Paul Weller style approach to life the guitars are clearly haunted by Johnny Marr. Sort of wistful and most definitely warm and fuzzy, The Rudiments seem to want to give you the sonic equivalent of a cuddle. Everybody likes cuddles (or so she told me).