The Rubens: The Rubens Review
The Rubens’ success story is an unlikely one for a band just over two years old. Their self-titled debut landed #1 on the Austrailian iTunes chart and #3 on the ARIA chart, and The Rubens spent a good part of 2013 on a sold-out tour of their own Australia, as well as hitting up many major American festivals (such as SXSW) and playing alongside names like Jack White and Bruce Springsteen. This explosive entrance seems entirely fitting, however, given the nature of The Rubens. The record starts off with a quiet (one might even go so far as to call it quaint) piano piece. Suddenly thunderous rhythms and thick instrumentation bursts out of nowhere, carrying you along for a 39-minute ride.
The Rubens’ mission statement must read something along the lines of “To craft soundscapes rich and full.” There is no space left unfilled on this album. The rhythms are heavy and demand some sort of physical response (pick whatever your go-to concert move is and repeat for the entire album). The guitar work moves in and out around various organ and keyboard bits, creating a rich backdrop for Sam Margin’s soulful vocals that at times sound like Alex Turner and at times sound like Dan Auerbach. The album opener, “The Best We Got,” goes so far as to throw some not-so-subtle string parts in the mix that perfectly compliment everything the song is.
Melodically, The Rubens are most easily compared to modern blues rockers with strong pop sensibilities (The Black Keys comparisons are bound to occur with The Rubens). There’s something a little different going on with The Rubens however that might be easy to miss at first. The Rubens are more likely to take things a little slower, to really savor this guitar riff or that minor chord. Take “Lay It Down,” which sounds like a traditional blues approach to what might otherwise be a song that fits comfortably in Cold War Kids’ catalogue, or “Elvis,” which favors angular walk-downs over holding the same note out too long.
The Rubens are not just keeping up with the competition; The Rubens are the competition, as competent as any of your favorite blues bands are. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.
The Review: 8.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– The Best We Got
– My Gun
– Lay it Down
– Don’t Ever Want to be Found
The Big Hit
– The Best We Got
Review by Richard MacDougall
I absolutely see no comparison to Black Keys with these guys. Maybe in one song. To me it seems like another Hipster sounding band, but thats just me and my opinion. At least the BKs have still that harder element even if they ventured toward to pop side some. Thanks for the review, we can agree to disagree lol =)
I have to agree with Vince. Although the Rubens’ album is not bad, I think it is a bit of a stretch to classify them as Blues Rock. They remind me of Cold Play and a few other Alt Rock groups… Seems you guys are veering away from the Blues over there at BRR…