Irish multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter John Bassett has recorded numerous albums under various names besides his own: KingBathmat, Arcade Messiah, Sacred Ape. But for his latest album, he dropped the monikers and went with the name his mother -- who, yes, was a former nun -- gave him.
As KingBathmat, Bassett recorded Son of A Nun in 2003 with barely a budget. However, it became a DIY cult hit and garnered lots of positive reviews from independent websites (including this one, written by this writer). Listening to the album a few years ago, though, Bassett admits he wasn't happy with the original mix and production. Curious about how it would sound with 23 years of additional recording experience, he decided to remake the album. This time around, he adhered to the “less is more” philosophy, focusing on getting the sound right during the recording stage rather than using guitar amp simulations and other plugins -- as he did on the initial recordings. The result is a much more organic and natural-sounding record that’s an even more enjoyable listen than the original version.
Bassett also changed the track listing, altered lyrics and song titles (“Not Born 2 Share” is now “Lord Hear My Prayer”), dropped four songs from the original version and added a new one (“Skin”). In a 29-minute video podcast that accompanies the Bandcamp download of Son of A Nun (Born Again), Bassett provides details about how his mother became a nun at age 15 and then ran away seven years later to pursue a more secular yet no less fulfilling life, eventually giving birth to Bassett. He also offers intricate details about how he changed the recording process, concluding that this is “far and away” the best-sounding record he’s released.
All well and fine, you say, but is this thing any good? Hell, yes, it’s good -- packed with inventive melodies and arrangements, backed with powerhouse instrumentation that takes influences from Sixties British pop on up to contemporary progressive rock. “Weather the Storm” sounds like Nick D’Virgilio-era Spock’s Beard, and “Unfortunate Soul” and “Virtual Cartoon” prove Bassett can still rock hard. His voice is more mature, too, lending a weathered, melancholic tone to lines like “I wanna help the sun appear, and try to put an end to these tears/Yet sarcasm comes rolling in, and we end up all soaked to the skin.”
Bassett says he plans to re-record subsequent KingBathmat albums, too, with Son of A Nun’s 2004 successor Crowning Glory up next. Maybe the parenthetical title for that one could be “Second Coming.”
Track Listing:
1. The River Runs Wild
2. Black Horizon
3. Lord Hear My Prayer
4. Weather the Storm
5. Skin
6. Unfortunate Soul
7. Virtual Cartoon
8. Post Traumatic
9. Uncle Remus
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