Born Ruffians Say It (Warp)
4/5
By: Jen Long
I once really embarrassed myself at a Born Ruffians gig. Having consumed a slight amount of alcohol before the show I heckled a stage invader a little too enthusiastically. The band stopped, turned, and informed me that he was their friend and had been invited on stage. I wanted to die for a good few weeks afterwards.
I’ll try and justify myself. In my mind Born Ruffians possess so much skill, beauty and sheer talent that to just jump on their stage seems insulting. It’s like quoting Lord Tennyson on a date and passing his words off as your own endearing creation. Well, it’s not, but hopefully by now you’re getting a feel for how much I like this band.
Pressing play on Say It, the second record from the Ontario trio, I’m half full of excitement and half shame. I guess this won’t apply to anyone reading, but by the time 40mins is over I’d like to think we’re all on the same page. It’s a delicately illustrated page of gloriously painted joy. To be blunt, this record is f**king great.
From the opening slang of guitars on ‘Oh Man’ to the pounding drums that follow, the record carries itself along a twist of delicately crafted hooks and sweetly slurred words. It’s a challenging and charming listen. Lines like “When I wake up I’m speaking slow/When I get drunk I’m speaking more/Get too drunk and I don’t speak at all/ Get too close to you and I don’t know what to say” show how to create empathy, sympathy and a creeping smile all with the nod of a clever rhyme.
The vocals on ‘Sole Brother’ intertwine with a guitar line that sounds as if it should be sung. It’s that Vampire Weekend effect where I find myself humming every intricacy of a record as if it were one long pop chorus.
There’s just so much to like here it’s hard to single anything out. On a first listen it might sound simple, but the more times I keep hitting that triangle button the more I discover under a mesh of bass and flood of toms, under a lick of riff and rush of throaty howl. See you on the next tour guys.
Artists in this article: Born Ruffians
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment