Ruby Coast : Whatever This Is

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/rubycoastwhateverthisis.jpg" alt="Ruby Coast : Whatever This Is" />Can you fault a band for sounding a lot like another band that you really like? ...
Ruby Coast : Whatever This Is
7.6 Self-released
2011 

Ruby Coast : Whatever This Is Can you fault a band for sounding a lot like another band that you really like?  Aurora, Ontario’s Ruby Coast’s Whatever This Is was produced by Dave Monks (QRO photos), singer/bassist for fellow Canadians Tokyo Police Club (QRO spotlight on), and it sounds a lot like Tokyo Police Club.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that – indeed, there’s a lot right about it, as TPC’s catchy indie-punk has been more than solid, with surprising depth.  Whatever This Is is a younger, and more emo TPC, but there’s all of what you really like about their big brother in there.

Whatever‘s lead-off/title track is, unsurprisingly, a good representation of the album, touching, young, and catchy, without actually being emo.  It’s a theme that carries on throughout most the record, sometimes speedier (the following "Stability"), sometimes higher and more atmospheric ("Made To Change" & "Plasticine"), and sometimes cheerier ("Dr. Acula"), but best done in the fun call "Creep Me Out".  The final three tracks on Whatever do change the game up, if venturing out of Ruby’s wheelhouse – Casio keys and kids themes to "I Live With Monsters", sharper, slightly disco-dance "Tuff Luck", and a distant & dark "White Moon" to close.  It’s good that they’re not standing still, but really only "White Moon" is a direction that you want them to continue trying to go in.

Ruby Coast has made Whatever This Is available for free on their bandcamp.com page, only asking that you spread the word via some electronic means.  So even if you think they sound too much like someone else, it’s certainly worth the price of picking up.  And they sound like someone else you like.

MP3 Stream: "Creep Me Out"

{audio}/mp3/files/Ruby Coast – Creep Me Out.mp3{/audio}

Categories
Album Reviews
  • Anonymous
    at
  • No Comment

    Leave a Reply

    Album of the Week