While The Love Language moved up in terms of label when they put out second full-length Libraries (QRO review) on indie-made-good Merge Records (which is based out The Language’s hometown of Durham), their fifties country didn’t jump forward that much – but it has on Ruby Red. Embracing the ambition that was only hinted at before, The Love Language go big-time.
And Ruby Red lets you know it from the start, with killer opener “Calm Down”. The indie-rock pressure is very twenty-first century, and gets everything going. Whereas the epic moments on Libraries were the weakest, on Ruby they are the strongest, from “Calm Down” to the sharper, harder rock attack of “First Shot”, the atmospheric & enchanting sway to the following “Golden Age”, and even the touch of tropical and dance to “On Our Heels”. This does mean that the more straight-up fifties-esque pieces mostly don’t shine as bright, but even there, The Love Language do better, such as country-sway “Faithbreaker”.
The return of fifties sounds was not an unwelcome one, and The Love Language had done it nicely, but ‘nicely’ only gets you so far. Now the group has stepped up to the next level.
