Review Summary: Rhombus have crafted a diverse but very polished debut album. Fusing Dub, house, lounge, jazz and soul into relaxing but extremely catchy music
Back in 2002, a friend lent me Rhombus' first album, Bass Player. To be completely honest i didn't have huge expectations of this album, due to my friend being a huge stoner and generally having pretty bland music taste. I was very guilty of judging this album by its cover. I put it on but didn't get past the first song, Onwards, which i thought was an acceptable Hip-Hop song, but i wasn't really in the mood. A few days later i came home from the pub and turned my stereo on. It was still in there and it started playing again, but this time it got past the first song, and i was completely blown away. Bass Player was a much more polished and diverse album then i gave it credit for. Bass Player blends styles such as hip hop, dub, house, lounge, jazz and soul into an effortlessly classy chill out album.
The album opener, Onwards (Step It Up), is an enjoyable hip hop song with some Reggae influences. But i think thats hard to escape when the vocalist sounds like he's just flown in from jamaica. The musicianship is pretty high on these tracks, the bass is awesome and there's some nice flutes and horns thrown into the mix. The chorus is very catchy and really the whole song is loaded with hooks. The only negative i can find about this are some dodgy rhyme's in the verse.
Pushing Blocks takes the album in a whole different direction. The song starts with the sound of some record static and some keyboards. The bass kicks in after a few seconds and then some spoken words and drums kick in. This song is really quite chilled out. It has a really laid back feel. I really like the drums in this song, they're interesting without taking over the whole song. The song kicks up half a gear about midway through with the addition of some horns but settles back into its groove nicely.
Hiroshima station is a recording of noise from Hiroshima Station with a sample from the song Bass Player layered in with the people eating and talking. Its a quick filler before leading into the next song.
Clav Dub was the Single of this album. It starts of with a neat little horn part, then The ridiculously catchy bass kicks in. I can't overstate how catchy this bass loop is. Great chorus as well. The whole song is just laden with hooks.
Spaceman is a completely different style. This is some sort of electro or house music. I'm not really an expert on those genres so I'm not sure exactly. It starts of with a pretty cool bass loop and drums then adds some surf guitars, just to mix things up. Eventually before the chorus the bass loop is interwoven with what sounds like sirens. Its difficult to explain this song, but it seems as though it loses its way a bit in the middle, then comes back full circle. Could have been better if it was a little more cohesive.
Tour of Outer Space marks the point where rhombus cease to make ridiculously catchy, upbeat music and start to make chilled out dub. The everpresent bass is still here and used to good effect. As well as a strange electronic sample used in the back ground. A female vocalist is used on this song, and she has a smooth silky voice which lends itself very well to this relaxed type of music.
Bass Player is an instrumental song. Its got a very cosmopolitan sound to it. Great popping bass sounds as well.
The female vocalist from Tour of Outer space appears on JP Dub, along with a male vocalist. He raps for the verse and then sings for the chorus, along with the female. This song has a very jazzy feel to it. Saxophones and Guitars are used on this song. Again its a very laid back song.
M is for me the standout track on Bass Player. It starts with a sample of what sounds like a lighter, then some bongos kick in. This song has a very earthy feel to it which matches up with the lyrical themes of conservation. I think M has the best bassline on the album. Keyboards and a flute kick in toward the middle of the song. And it seems to build up but then just tapers of. Its not a bad thing, maybe i've been listening to Explosions In The Sky, but i expected some sort of a crescendo, and always fell slightly cheated when it never materialised
Piano Dub is a great song. Its mainly on piano with bass, drums and a sample of a guy saying “Praise you...” spliced and mixed in. very catchy.
Dead And Gone is a more up tempo, electronic song. Has some great piano parts, and is just loaded with hooks. Great bass on this song as well.
Homeless is a bit more down tempo. Great vocals on this song, with some scatting in the start of the song. The female vocals are back on this song and are absolutely stunning. the smooth vocals are contrasted against the relatively stacatto piano and bass parts.
Sweetness is the final song on the album and is a bit of a monster, clocking in at 9:40. Its the slowest song so far and it has a very lounge music or a slow jazz feel to it. This song is mostly bass, drums and synth. Sweetness is a tribute to beautiful maori/pacific island women and is a very tender song. Its a great album closer as well. They get a bit jam band and do some extended synth solos, but they never become pretentious and are actually extremely enjoyable and well phrased.
Bass Player is just perfect for those late sunday mornings when your nursing a hangover. Its got uptempo, and its got chill-out as well. It'll bring your mood up then slowly lower you back down again, just in time to fire up the barbie.
Cheers guys. This is my first review. Sorry about the length.
