You’d have to have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard of The Rubens by now. They’re one of the most exciting acts in music that just so happens to be from little old Sydney town. I’d be lying if I had said I hadn’t already seen them live; I paid full fee to see them support Lanie Lane at the metro (which I promptly left when they had finished, but that’s another story for another time) and they did not disappoint. They had mentioned an album was on its way and I was immediately counting down the days ’til I could get my greasy mitts on a copy.
This album does not disappoint, with such a unique nostalgic sound you would have guessed that these guys have been slogging it hard on the pub circuit since they looked old enough to pass for eighteen. But this has been a meteoric rise, and as we’ve seen in the past, meteoric rises lead to a hard fall. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that they continue to make medicine for my ears for many years to come.
My Gun is a fun sing-along that I can envision being a jukebox favourite for years to come. It will hold up with Elvis’ Hound Dog and Credence Clear Water Revivals’ Millionaires Son. With whiskey-soaked patrons slurring along enthusiastically, this song will stand the test of time.
The album picks up with track number seven: a bouncy lively song called The Day You Went Away (my first thought was of an elephant too) that makes a break from the uber moody blues tunes. It makes me want to throw my hands above my head and start clapping along. This should be their last song at every show.
Look Good, Feel Good has a lot more going for it vocally; there are more lyrics, which are sung in a shorter sharper manner, completely different to the rest of the album. This is good: it gets me to sit up and pay more attention. The last song Paddy sounds like a reinvented Mexican standoff song, the kind of song that should be in the new Quentin Tarantino movie Django Unchained. This is a fantastic end to an amazing album.
This album is just plain incredible. I hope these guys go from strength to strength because I am rooting for them. This album will be my soundtrack to the forthcoming summer. If I have to never listen to radio to maintain its purity, then so be it! I’m going to be drinking whiskey, slow dancing by myself all the way through the warmer months with these boys right by my side.
