So, I duck into the Sydney CBD to pick up the new album released today by our favourite good times tunesmiths, The Basics. And as a pleasant surprise the packaging really, really looks cool! Maybe my expectations were lowered after the presentation of the last two Gotye albums which I found slightly disappointingly short on substance (good thing the the recordings themselves are, of course, excellent)

Tada:

It contains liner notes, all lyrics, all presented in a manner which looks like business, but never loses the twinkle in its eye.

Here’s the whole kit and caboodle:

Now, shoo! To the record store, you! Go grab yourself a copy!

As for the music, I can already say the tunes are fantastic, having seen plenty of it live. Now to give the album my customary 3-5 initial spins to let it settle in. First impressions are that there’s plenty of new discoveries to be made: the arrangements of the tunes differ (sometimes subtly, sometimes to a great amount) from their live presentation. But I’m not even going to think about writing a review at this early stage of my familiarity with it. But overall, great fun. Go get it.