In Nothing We Trust - Reuben

...for quite some time now in my room and on my iPod. BUT I will also tell you where it could do with some improvement...

First we have Cities on Fire. I first heard this track live when the gang were opening for Fightstar (grrr), and it was amazing. It was so amazing I forgot completely how it went, only knowing that it was amazing. I was so happy when I pressed play and this wonderfully epic, end-of-the-world song kicked off the new ...
...single We're All Going Home In An Ambulance- fast, heavy, Guy's first extreme use of double-bass pedals, and an insane amount of rhythm hopping. It is clear by now that the band have taken something from the last album, and made it a whole lot better and very unpredictable. "I pray to god she chokes...."

Next up, Suffocation of the Soul. It starts of differently, not like Reuben at all, intrigue. This song builds from a spacey ... more

Reuben return for their first independent album. Yes, they have broken the bonds of record labels and executive types and cheapskates and managers and all that jazz, they're making it on they're own. Of course for Jamie that's not enough, he likes to bitch.

I will tell you why this album is amazing, why it's been playing on repeat for quite some time now in my room and on my iPod. BUT I will also tell you where it could do with some improvement...

First we have Cities on Fire. I first heard this track live when the gang were opening for Fightstar (grrr), and it was amazing. It was so amazing I forgot completely how it went, only knowing that it was amazing. I was so happy when I pressed play and this wonderfully epic, end-of-the-world song kicked off the new album. I can only quote lyrics, and they are these: "try to hide your grin, while London sheds it's skin."

Next we have the new single We're All Going Home In An Ambulance- fast, heavy, Guy's first extreme use of double-bass pedals, and an insane amount of rhythm hopping. It is clear by now that the band have taken something from the last album, and made it a whole lot better and very unpredictable. "I pray to god she chokes...."

Next up, Suffocation of the Soul. It starts of differently, not like Reuben at all, intrigue. This song builds from a spacey guitar opening to a lovely crescendo to a pretty electro-ish beat and piano. (There's more piano in this album by the way.) Good old Reuben anger builds and we get the same crescendo but this time with the line "I've lost it a little bit" on repeat, and strings. Nice reprise, change direction, pause for thought, then we're back in. All in all a marvellous song.

Track four is a bizarre track featuring Frank Turner. I like it, it's got spunk and good old-fashioned punkness. "I wanna be just like you, get myself a job and a really good tattoo." It's called Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin, and it's fun. The first time I heard it I laughed my arse off at Jamie's voice at the beginning, then I rocked out to the chorus (which is really catchy). Then their's this weird strange line that they repeat far too much, it goes "you're dressed like a victorian at a swimming pool", and it makes you think twice about giving it the five-star rating.

At this point I feel it necessary to explain something. The reason I am quoting lyrics is because this is an album in which lyrics play more than the average part. I can only show this by quoting lyrics, demonstrating how they can be a force for beauty while at other times can reak irreversable damage to an otherwise perfect song. Let's continue...

An Act of Kindness start's of quite well. I wouldn't say it's a really good track, but I'm not dismissing it completely.

Now the next track, that's the one I'm dismissing. It's called Crushed Under the Weight of the Enormous Bullshit, and it's a big rant. You know what I was saying earlier, about how lyrics can be a destructive force? This is what I meant. I can tell you great things about this song, it's lovely. The weird guitar screeches, the short and weird solo, the harmonies and vocal layers, and that really awesome bit near the beginning with someone going nuts on a honky-tonk piano. All fantastic, BUT it's a rant. It's bitching, just bitching and nothing else. Not even subtle bitching, with lyrics like "please give me an album I love straight away" and "I don't like Joy Division, I don't like Morrisey". Bah! I wash my hands of it. You may not share my view, but I don't want to hear a singer bitch about other singers and how they earn more money.

Moving on...

A serious change of pace- Good Luck. It's a slow ballad-y duet with a female singer from another band. It's lovely, and very unexpected. It's nice, it starts slowly and builds, it's about love and colleagues and life and relationships. "'Cos if this is goodbye, I hope that you die."

Oooh ho! This one's a winner. Agony/Agatha is it's name, and it's all about making music. It drives, it has piano, it's funky.It's got a blues-y touch but it's still Reuben. It's catchy, fast, dancetoable. "Goes like a bang in my head, it won't let go!"

Three Hail Marys. It's got a daaark name. It's a daaark song. The lyric "this is a musical complaint" should have been in track six. Anyway, this is a great song, and a long one too at 6:48. It ends at one point, and for a while I thought the second half was a whole different track. The second half's the better half, caming in with a brilliant riff and building to a lovely jaw-clenching ending with the sentiments "keep your mouth shut, keep your mouth shut keep your mouth shut". Also watch out for the yummy line "sing three Hail Marys for me".

That kick-ass song leads straight into the even kick-asser song Blood, Bunny, Larkhall. We already know how awesome it is because they made a video which they released on YouTube a month before the album release. It's brilliant, go watch it now. I'll wait for you...

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The last track is named after a Bill Bryson book. It's called A Short History of Nearly Everything, and it's very nice. It has you going with a lovely piano interlude, thinking it's going to be another Dusk. Not quite, in fact the ending goes a very different way. False ending, then BAM! Very fast and very dangerous at last, and a triumphantly abrupt finish to a brilliant album.

Get your breath back.

Of course it still hasn't beaten Racecar, but I'm beginning to think that's impossible. This one has weak bits, some lyrics that could have done with a second opinion, but if you circumnavigate them with your magic ears (skip track button), you'll be fine.

A very good album. A lovely album. Reuben have almost out-done themseves. 

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