Mat Kerekes - Ruby
Oh man, where to begin with Ruby. I've read a ton of comparisons between this and Queen. I only hear it in the back up vocals. This feels so much more personal than anything mainstream music can give. It starts out with a little chord progression that makes you feel like you're on the couch with Kerekes, like he's just playing around on the guitar. "Noodling," as it were. Then the drums come in with a pop and they bring that funky little bass line in with them. The first time I heard it, I almost lost Kerekes' vocals, because every other aspect of the song is just as captivating as his voice. It is just a silky smooth intro. Puts you right in the groove. A quick build up into a refrain of the first verse. The drums come in a little heavier and you realizing you're listening to what is about to be one of your favorite songs of 2019. I'm writing this a little late, 2020; so I've put some time into the record. I guess my year ended up slipping away...
A lot of side projects and singer-songwriter albums aren't able to keep peoples attention through out an entire LP. Ruby is definitely an exception.
Diamonds starts again making you feel like maybe you're just sitting in a recording studio or a quiet cabin with a piano and couple random instruments while Kerekes' rolls out another velvet melody. Then the rest of the "band (he recorded and produced the majority of this album on his own: Jake Duhaime is credited with the drums on Diamond)" starts to slowly come in with the ride cymbal and and finally that "Oh" that I think most of the Queen comparisons are drawn from. And with the "Oh" coming to an end, Kerekes' asks "Don't you notice?" paints a third person view of someone looking through a window, not realizing how much potential they have. He bounces between a falsetto and a guttural, honest, vocal range. He holds the end of "Been there for so long" and I find myself singing along without even realizing it. He does the same with "on the inside." It's impossible not to feel like you're a part of this song, it's got the perfect pop drum beat and ends on two hard hitting bass drum kicks (my personal favorite song ending on the album.)
Young starts much less slow; Kerekes', six strings, and a simple beat on a simple kit. Rumor has it he recorded much of the percussion on this album himself. This track probably has the best "steering wheel" beat song on the record. Simple, easy and Kerekes' lyrics bring you right in. "I don't care about them. Oooooooh," impossibly catchy. Seriously fun. Autumn Dress slow the pace down a bit, showing his ability as a song writer (as if we didn't know from Luna & the Wild Blue Everything.) He doesn't just make sing-a-longs, he actually shows a ton of flexibility. He's got much more to say. It's said that if you make something sound easy, you're an expert. Kerekes must be an expert song writer. The melodies, arrangements and every aspect of this (almost entirely) self produced and recorded album make music feel easy, simple, safe, and fun as hell. The ups and downs, the fact that you're not really sure where a song is going until it's over. It's too good not to be cranked up to eleven. The next track; Hawthorne, is no exception. It starts again with a feeling like he's on a piano bench or a stool with an old acoustic guitar just showing you something he thought of the night before; until it opens up and you realize he's known exactly what he was doing with this song all along. I know it was mentioned earlier, but the way he jumps from soft melodies to the way he yells "Back against the wall" would make any aspiring singer jealous.
The last 3 songs on the album would be an amazing EP by themselves. Spider-silk, One for the Wildflowers, and An Ode close out this album just feel right. The comfortable ending of Spider-silk (Asha Zapf's vocals should be touted as the reason it ends so sweetly, not that the music should be discounted; but she adds a purity to the end of this song) floats you right into One for the Wildflowers. He says he found heaven, in "you," and with the previous ending it feels like he's singing to someone he loves (who could it be?!) Kerekes gives you another sing along opportunity with "We never knew time, we never knew time at all." While leading you into one of the "heavier" parts of the album, and I think it's the only time on the whole album a palm hits guitar strings.
Some albums are written with a certain decrescendo in mind; start heavy and fast and poppy, end slow. Ruby has us back and forth, up and down so many times it's absolutely impossible to get bored. That almost sounds like it would be hard to find the groove of the album (I assure you it is not), but the way the songs are written is emulated by the album structure. Start here; bounce, get catchy, slow down, falsetto, build up, sing along. There aren't enough positive things to be said about this album. It ends just like it begins, absolutely captivating. An Ode isn't just the final track; it's the perfect closer. It makes you want to go out and write an album yourself. It's simple, right Mat? There's a perfect balance between emotion, song writing, and pure bliss on this LP. Hats off to Kerekes for being able to step comfortably into the second record of his solo catalogue so expertly, while keeping his integrity as a true punk front man. There it goes, another one down.
A lot of side projects and singer-songwriter albums aren't able to keep peoples attention through out an entire LP. Ruby is definitely an exception.
Diamonds starts again making you feel like maybe you're just sitting in a recording studio or a quiet cabin with a piano and couple random instruments while Kerekes' rolls out another velvet melody. Then the rest of the "band (he recorded and produced the majority of this album on his own: Jake Duhaime is credited with the drums on Diamond)" starts to slowly come in with the ride cymbal and and finally that "Oh" that I think most of the Queen comparisons are drawn from. And with the "Oh" coming to an end, Kerekes' asks "Don't you notice?" paints a third person view of someone looking through a window, not realizing how much potential they have. He bounces between a falsetto and a guttural, honest, vocal range. He holds the end of "Been there for so long" and I find myself singing along without even realizing it. He does the same with "on the inside." It's impossible not to feel like you're a part of this song, it's got the perfect pop drum beat and ends on two hard hitting bass drum kicks (my personal favorite song ending on the album.)
Young starts much less slow; Kerekes', six strings, and a simple beat on a simple kit. Rumor has it he recorded much of the percussion on this album himself. This track probably has the best "steering wheel" beat song on the record. Simple, easy and Kerekes' lyrics bring you right in. "I don't care about them. Oooooooh," impossibly catchy. Seriously fun. Autumn Dress slow the pace down a bit, showing his ability as a song writer (as if we didn't know from Luna & the Wild Blue Everything.) He doesn't just make sing-a-longs, he actually shows a ton of flexibility. He's got much more to say. It's said that if you make something sound easy, you're an expert. Kerekes must be an expert song writer. The melodies, arrangements and every aspect of this (almost entirely) self produced and recorded album make music feel easy, simple, safe, and fun as hell. The ups and downs, the fact that you're not really sure where a song is going until it's over. It's too good not to be cranked up to eleven. The next track; Hawthorne, is no exception. It starts again with a feeling like he's on a piano bench or a stool with an old acoustic guitar just showing you something he thought of the night before; until it opens up and you realize he's known exactly what he was doing with this song all along. I know it was mentioned earlier, but the way he jumps from soft melodies to the way he yells "Back against the wall" would make any aspiring singer jealous.
The last 3 songs on the album would be an amazing EP by themselves. Spider-silk, One for the Wildflowers, and An Ode close out this album just feel right. The comfortable ending of Spider-silk (Asha Zapf's vocals should be touted as the reason it ends so sweetly, not that the music should be discounted; but she adds a purity to the end of this song) floats you right into One for the Wildflowers. He says he found heaven, in "you," and with the previous ending it feels like he's singing to someone he loves (who could it be?!) Kerekes gives you another sing along opportunity with "We never knew time, we never knew time at all." While leading you into one of the "heavier" parts of the album, and I think it's the only time on the whole album a palm hits guitar strings.
Some albums are written with a certain decrescendo in mind; start heavy and fast and poppy, end slow. Ruby has us back and forth, up and down so many times it's absolutely impossible to get bored. That almost sounds like it would be hard to find the groove of the album (I assure you it is not), but the way the songs are written is emulated by the album structure. Start here; bounce, get catchy, slow down, falsetto, build up, sing along. There aren't enough positive things to be said about this album. It ends just like it begins, absolutely captivating. An Ode isn't just the final track; it's the perfect closer. It makes you want to go out and write an album yourself. It's simple, right Mat? There's a perfect balance between emotion, song writing, and pure bliss on this LP. Hats off to Kerekes for being able to step comfortably into the second record of his solo catalogue so expertly, while keeping his integrity as a true punk front man. There it goes, another one down.
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