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Basehead: Not in Kansas Anymore (Imago)

Eric Weisbard, Spin, April 1993

THERE'S A nice irony in the fact that, give or take a vowel or two, Basehead is almost an anagram for Sebadoh. Like its 'zine-damaged near-namesake, Basehead (Michael Ivey plus whomever he allows into the studio with him) is given to a sarcasm so total it permeates every part of the band's music: mumbled vocals that refuse to proclaim a certainty the singer doesn't feel; guitar-bass-drum and samples played not to rock out or drop the bomb, but as muddled, echoing, bong-pipe drone. No matter how successful they become, both Basehead and Sebadoh are bands whose records will always sound like something cooked up on a home studio, meant only to be slapped on a TDK and passed between friends.

Total word count of piece: 807

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