Ruby Fusion - Disciplinary Hearings Album Review
Ruby Fusion
Disciplinary Hearings
So to that sound, then - twin guitar/bass/drums/vocals with quite a heavy flavouring from trumpet and sax. The songs tending towards mid to slow tempo with liberal use of the shuffle feel. The production is clean and precise allowing a certain space in the music. Together, these elements do tend to put a date stamp on the sound… and that is for better and worse, really. Certainly there is ability and intent here, but the lack of that ‘defining song’ is what holds the CD back overall. The best moments are all about the playing and hark back, perhaps, to the sound of Dire Straits had just before the 80s began and they went ‘corporate’- tasteful playing, left wing lyrical bent, kind of world weary end-of-the working week grooves.
It what some might describe as a very “working class” feel- a kind of simmering anger floats through a lot of the songs, which is compelling but a bit tiresome, too. It all comes together best on “call it hope” with a jazzy, reggae groove and tasteful sax and trumpet solos. Debut recordings tend to outline a lyrical and musical manifesto, and it will be interesting to see what the next stages in this journey are.
Reviewed by Trevf
Debut full length CD from a Christchurch 4 piece who claim they are “old enough to know better”. It's hard to find much background on this group – A bit of internet digging does reveal links with the Equus record label which appears to be a collective enterprise that has some interesting ideas and which provides a neat phrase describing the sound of the band -“folky-punky blues”.
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About Ruby Fusion
Old enough to know better.
Debut Album out now from EquusLive or Amplifier.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Ruby Fusion
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