End Of An Era

Most bands abhor being likened to another artist and dismiss any such comparisons as lazy or ill-informed journalism. Sometimes, though, as in the case of Las Vegas Basement, an outfit wear their influences on their sleeves so blatantly that they’re practically embossed with gold emblazoned lettering. That said, if you’re going to emulate anybody, you may as well try to capture the magic of the greatest band in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, which is what these four Dubliners have done.

From the first bars of ‘Shine On’ to the closing strains of ‘Heartbreaker’, the spectres of John, Paul, George and Ringo hang heavily over proceedings. Credit to Las Vegas Basement, then, that they don’t collapse under the weight of these luminous spirits, but still manage to create an album of heavily layered, well-crafted songs with the kind of glorious ‘la-la-la’ harmonies not heard since the Fab Four were at their peak.

It’s late-era Beatles, though, as not even current single, the ultra catchy ‘Mr Lane’, has the insistent hummability of McCartney and Lennon’s three-minute specials: although comparing anybody to the finest songwriting partnership the world has ever known is bound to end in a victory for the Scousers.

Gerard Eaton & Co. have a handful of killer tunes in them, though, like the stunningly gorgeous ‘Running (For The First Time)’, not a million miles away from the majesty of Mercury Rev; the sun-kissed ‘Desertscape Highway’, which casts a nod in the direction of Gram Parsons, and the aforementioned bluesy bluster of ‘Heartbreaker’. ‘My Reflection’ and ‘Ghosts’ do get a bit psychedelic for their own good, but songs like the title track, ‘Kaos Reigns’ and the insistent ‘Pointed At The Gin Palace’, display their knack for uncovering an ultra-catchy chorus.

Las Vegas Basement may not win any prizes for originality, but as my local money lender says, ‘If you’re not broke, I can’t fix ye’. A lovingly created homage to the rock ‘n’ roll greats that went before and a fine album in its own right, End Of An Era could be the start of a beautiful relationship.