When Steve Basham had to choose a name for the follow-up to his previous recording, Thick, the choice must have been obvious. Thus we have Thicker, an album which shows that Mr. Basham’s sound has certainly congealed somewhat in the past year. The songwriting is similar – rife with apparent inside jokes and amusing story-telling lyrics – but this time he’s fleshed the sound out with a drum kit and more of a full-band sound. It is definitely an improvement in this listener’s opinion. The feel for the album is set by the opening track, and it pleasantly doesn’t veer far from this sound through the album’s 10 songs. It’s upbeat, simple and catchy. Comparisons to The Dead Milkmen or even Pavement could be made. Twenty minutes of fun from one of Winnipeg’s more unique musicians. I’m eagerly awaiting Thickest, which i fully expect to contain a string quartet and four-part harmonies.

Published in Volume 64, Number 17 of The Uniter (January 28, 2010)