Genre: British Underground Alternative/Hard Rock... It's hard to put Reuben into a nutshell like this, wikipedia says "Their music can be said to be a fusion of alternative rock and heavy metal" which is... wrong. They do also have progressive elements (most of their songs do not follow the standard 'generic rock' structure of A/B/A/C/A or similar). Give them a listen here!
Reuben have always been a favourite of mine - this is their (I believe) third full studio album, the previous two being 'Racecar is Racecar Backwards' followed up by 'Very Fast Very Dangerous'. The difference in quality between the three is negligible - If I had to rank them I think I'd put their debut and this album above their second. Which is a good thing - they're on the up again!
Their Surrey roots do show through in both lyrics and vocals, and if you've ever heard Hundred Reasons (also from Surrey) you'll immediately see the similarities. Part of what makes them so endearing to me is that they don't just stick to the usual subjects of Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll - the frontman Jamie Lenman has very insightful and incisive views on many topics.
Right, I've blathered on about the band long enough now - Let's progress to the album itself!
1. Cities on Fire (3:53)
A slow, slightly distorted guitar riff acts as the introduction to both this song and the album, the lone instrument for a full minute before the drums and vocals kick in. This track switches suddenly from multiple-voiced screaming (all three band members sing) and heavily distorted guitars to the slow starting riff with a soft vocal overlay, and back again. Not one of the strongest tracks either lyrically or musically but it has a lot to live up to on this album!
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Lyric: Play your violin, and try to hide your grin, as it burns away your sin, and London sheds its skin
2. We're All Going Home In An Ambulance (5:43)
An upbeat drum rhythm provides the intro and backing to this track, as well as (again) distorted guitars and aggressive vocals. This song will mean a lot more to you when you know the lyrics and subject matter - It's about Jamie's experiences with bullying, growing up and moving on, and finding the same kind of people in adult life. An example lyric: When I was in New York, a woman tried to start a fight with me because she thought I was Jewish, and somehow it felt wrong to tell the truth - that I wasn't. I pray to God she chokes.
The aggressive nature in this song is itself a nod to the subject matter - as if Lenman is empathising (ironically) with his antagonists. After about three minutes, the song slows down and he makes his message explicit. The last minute is the best part of this song, as it all seems to come together beautifully. The vocal harmonies are spot-on as always and the instruments could not be played with more passion.
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Lyric: I wish I had the guts, to stand up for myself, and for others as well, against these fuckers... Choke
3. Suffocation of the Soul (7:01)
The longest track on the album, and, if I'm honest, a pretty nondescript one. As with every song it does have its moments but it is not particularly outstanding in any area. The repetition of I've lost it a little bit is quite powerful midway through the song, followed by a swell that leads to the finale of My dear... My dear... My dear...
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Lyric: All my words, I broke them for you, and all my plans, I snapped them in two
4. Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin (4:49)
The first single from the album and a very strong track in itself. There is nothing not to like about this song! It even has guest lyrics from the legend that is FRANK TURNER!
It starts with Lenman having a laugh with the studio guys: Shall I bother trying to do it properly? ... Okay cool. God, i've got an attitude ain't I? .... I ain't fucking well! It shows that the band don't take themselves too seriously but their music is brilliant and they know it.
It then launches into the first section of the song - a kind of buildup before the kickass chorus: I wanna be, just like you, get myself a job and a really cool tattoo. This is the most 'Alternative Rock' that Reuben get in my opinion, and they do it very well.
The song then progresses into a short bass solo before the awesome bridge. This song is a shining example of how Reuben have mastered the art of vocal harmony - with all three band members singing different versions of this bridge and the chorus eventually. It ends yet again with the repetition of a single line: No motorised action... No motorised action... No motorised action...
Rating: 10/10 (seriously I can't fault this song)
Favourite Lyric: You're dressed, like a Victorian at a swimming pool [like a deadly lethal ninja assassin]... all in black!
5. An Act of Kindness (4:29)
Pretty obvious theme to this song - it's exploring the various justifications of adoption: I'm trying to make up my mind, madness or cruel-to-be-kind, your mother was sick or blind when she gave her child away.
To some extent I think it's dealing with mental disability too - perhaps the mother concerned has post-natal depression and thought it better to commit herself and let her child be adopted rather than risk ruining her baby's life. Yet another side of Reuben - a serious, thoughtful side that is deeply philosophical and emotional yet still somehow objective, exploring every explanation.
Musically it's a great track - the first thing I noticed was a short guitar riff that sounds to me exactly like one by Bloc Party (out of pure coincidence, I'm sure). If anyone can place it then please tell me because I can't remember the song I think it's from!
Rating: 8/10 (Personally I prefer the more lighthearted songs)
Favourite Lyric:
I understand the idea that A.D.D. is an imbalance
'Depression,' that is an imbalance of chemicals
It makes sense.
But couldn't you argue that everything is?
Joy, fear, anger, sadness?
Can you diagnose love?
Can you diagnose loss?
See, we find these ways
To justify it all
But is it really working?
6. Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit (4:10)
A song that is quite simply about liking an album straight away without having to listen to it over and over to let it 'grow on you'. Although I totally agree with the lyrics, I find the music on this track very tedious for the most part. I think there's been a commentary on the music industry on every one of Reuben's albums - I think the reason they haven't played at many major festivals is that they have stuck rigidly to their principles and are very against 'selling out', which is a great thing because they keep producing excellent albums such as this. Shame about the music on this one song though.
Rating: 6/10 (I can't resist a dig at the music industry)
Favourite Lyric:
All this eighties indie
Sounds like shit to me
'Cos I don't like Joy Division
I don't like Morrissey
Or their new impersonators
Kings of MTV
Suckling at the teat
Of fucking NME
7. Good Luck (3:35)
Honestly I have been ploughing through this review just so I could get to this song, it's that good. I hope I do it justice, please go and find it somewhere (ask me to /dcc it to you on IRC if needs be!)
This song is about saying goodbye, for many different reasons. It's based around moving on and knowing that even though it may not be the best thing to do, you can't control your emotions when you get hurt.
The first minute or so is just Lenman with his acoustic guitar playing a quite simple riff. He really has a unique voice that goes beautifully with the softness of the guitar.
Then the drums kick in and a female guest singer harmonises with him. Oddly, Lenman's vocals concern being fired from his job, whereas Hannah Clarke (the guest singer) is singing about 'this girl I slept with'. I think the angle they were going after is that everyone feels like this and you don't have to have the very same personal experience to relate to it. I like that.
Rating: 10/10
Favourite Lyric: If you hurt me, I will hate you, It's just as simple as that, it's not mature, and it's not progressive, that doesn't alter the fact
8. Agony/Agatha (2:56)
... And now for something completely different!
The clue here is in the lyrics:
Just a big bass line and drums, got guitarists sucking their thumbs,
4 barre or two, that's how to do it.
Play some keys, it makes it swell
I don't pretend I can play very well
But I like what piano brings to it
Seriously, this shows what great songwriters Reuben really are. They've moved away from their traditional three-piece-with-guitar and replaced it with a piano, then written a song about writing the song that they are playing... Seriously it's just a great concept and the execution is just excellent. My only problem with this song is I want to know what Agatha refers to - otherwise I really can't fault it!
Rating: 10/10 again!
Favourite Lyric: ..the ones mentioned above :)
9. Three Hail Marys (6:48)
A complete change again - the first obvious instance of programmed drumming provides the introduction to this song. Stronger musically than lyrically in my opinion, although the lyrics are by no means bad. Yet more songwriting genius although not a particularly stand-out track - that must say SOMETHING about this album!
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Lyric: I am regret, I am doubt, I am alone, I am without, I am dispair, I am guilt, I am the sand on which I built, I am a laze, I'm wasted youth, I am aggression, An ugly truth, I am refusal, I am attack, I got the world set on my back... And I can't stand the weight...
10. Blood, Bunny, Larkhall (2:39)
I may have lied earlier because now that I think about it, I seem to remember this being the first single released from the album (before the album itself, in fact).
Quite simply put, this song is chaos theory set to music:
I feel like reading books is wrapping me up in layers of history
I feel like being here is wrapping me up in layers of history
And I feel like singing this is wrapping me up in layers of history
I feel like breathing in is wrapping me up in layers of history
Just simply existing is wrapping me up in layers of history
Lyrically very interesting but not the greatest of songs in itself. Listen to it a few times and you'll like it more.
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Lyric: as above!
11. A Short History of Nearly Everything
The final track! The title is a nod to Bill Bryson's book of the same name which is literally... a short history of nearly everything! I do find it difficult to analyse the lyrics in any particularly deep meaning which is annoying because I'm sure there is one. To me it is conveying a sense of how small we really are, and that no matter how big something seems at the time, it's really just a tiny blip on the grand scale of things:
Do you remember our best adventure?
Stealing off to climb Westers Hill?
Creeping out of our house at midnight?
Do you remember on the way down after,
I cut my leg right open on that fence?
And I cried and I cried...
"You're bleeding, but it's alright,
'Cos we'll stay awake the whole night.
'Cos I found a rock in an ancient place,
And it's older than the human race..."
Rating: 9/10 - very solid track indeed
Favourite Lyric:You and me, we're dead in the blink of an eye.
We've been and gone...
...we're dead in a blink of the earth's eye."
To summarise:
Please give Reuben a listen, there is something for everyone on this album and I have just dedicated an hour of my life to reviewing it so it must be worth something!
