I saw Basshound one time in Annapolis sometime early in '06. When I walked in I quickly recognized that these 25-and-unders were playing a rendition of something off Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"- Welcome to the Machine I believe. After the show when they told me their ages, I told them they reminded me of what Phish must have sounded like in their 20's. This CD definitely represents that well. Their music, arrangements and musicianship combined seem very close to being on track for that level of quality, and I regard Phish as one of the best rock bands ever, instrumentally speaking.

Lyrically the Basshound effort is a little behind their music, but that is more of a tribute to the quality of the music than a bash of the lyrics; I just think there's a little bit of catching up to do lyrically.

I really hope these young guys figure out how to stick together, as they have more than enough promise to be commercially successful, especially given that Phish did quite well with lyrics that were...well, offbeat to say the least.
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Music is always searching for uniqueness and creativity, which is why

Basshound's self-titled debut should be greatly appreciated by people looking for something different to hear. From Baltimore, Basshound brings a mixture of sounds through bass, drums, keyboards and guitars to showcase their ability to explore with different genres, ranging from funk, to reggae, to blues, to rock.

"Soul Filter" begins the album using the "007" theme that quickly transforms into a creative instrumental introduction.

Led by a catchy chorus, "Til I Hit The Ground" is a feel good track with a spectacular guitar performance. The downfall track on the album is "Sink" as it's comparably uninteresting and causes a lack of focus.

"Interuno" is a bluegrass instrumental track with city noises in the background that lead nicely into "Don't Question," a very catchy song that boasts greats solos on the keyboard and bass. "Interduo" is another instrumental that warps into "Boxcar Dreams," which can be considered the best song on "Basshound" and really shows the group's prowess both vocally and instrumentally.

The "Outroduction" instrumentally brings tranquility to an exceptional debut and Basshound will certainly gain fans that will appreciate a group with exceptional musical ability, willing to experiment with different sounds. The future should be bright for this group and hopefully this album sets up as an apparatus towards reaching their aspiring endeavors.
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