Review Summary: A beautiful collection of laid-back, wistful country-infused pop-rock songs, and hopefully the start of a long career for these South Georgia boys.
It's always a good feeling, especially given the amount of soulless commercial dross doing the rounds these days, when you discover a new band who immediately blow you away. Somehow, it's even more pleasant a surprise when that band happen to be making music that's a little outside of your usual taste. When I went to listen to an online stream of Ninja Gun's
Restless Rubes, I was expecting something in a rather spastic hardcore vein (let's face it, the band clearly got their name by choosing two words that sound badass and slamming them together), but instead spent the best part of the next hour enjoying a fine blend of country-rock and laid back pop whimsy, with the occasional shot-in-the-arm of punk rock energy.
For the sake of simplicity, one could reasonably compare Ninja Gun's sound to that of the Americana-infused rock of
The Loved Ones' recent
Build and Burn effort, latter-era
Replacements, and at a push, some of
None More Black's less boisterous material - however, anyone who's familiar with my previous reviews would probably point out that these are all bands I thoroughly enjoy - so why make the point I made above about this album reaching outside my usual tastes? That would be the country-music influence. Having been subjected to endless amounts of country'n'western on road trips with my dad when I was younger, the mere mention of it conjures up stomach-churning images of rednecks with pitchforks a-hootin' and a-hollerin' at a barndance to the twanging of a banjo...
Thankfully, Ninja Gun are more refined southern gentlemen, channelling the less hillbilly-centric side of country music - listening to
Restless Rubes evokes blissful images of sprawling cornfields, sun-drenched orchards, and hitching a ride across the rural landscape in a boxcar. The annoying redneck twang employed by many country artists is largely ignored here (with the exception of a few lines sung in character in
"Nostradumbass," an upbeat little number, ironically about escaping the insular ignorance of small-town life), with frontman Coody favouring instead a more clear-voiced delivery not a world away from that of Zach Davidson (of the much-missed
Vendetta Red).
The instrumental work is refreshingly simple throughout; solid drumbeats underpin fairly straightforward basslines, behind a wash of bright guitar chords and more subtly picked melodies - but the music varies widely, from the folksy acoustic guitar behind the wistful yet upbeat vocal harmonies of
"Asking Price" to the energetic, pounding pop-rock workout of
"Eight Miles Out." The whole deal is sweetened with some truly beatiful vocal harmonies and the occasional reserved use of harmonica to add a little texture. The band's way with a melody is at the forefront throughout the album, with particular praise going to
"Red State Blues," - with it's spine-tingling "whoah"s, spectral guitar solo, and undeniable pop sensibility, it's a song which has "Hit Single" written all over it, without ever seeming too polished or commercial. Even when they strip things down to just an acoustic guitar and Coody's spirited vocals in
"Front Yard Screamers (Kitchen Kissers)," there's no sign of any chinks in the band's songwriting armour.
If there's any criticism to be levelled, it's that the album is slightly top-heavy, with the first half being a little more memorable than the the second, and that the band's transitions between different parts of a song are occasionally a little awkward (in the otherwise excellent
"Darwin Was a Baptist" for example). However, despite my picking it apart and analysing it, what really makes
Restless Rubes such a great album is the sheer charm it exudes - every song, regardless of subject matter, has an unfailingly sunny disposition and it's this upbeat mood, along with the effortlessly catchy melodies and complete lack of pretension on display, that make it such an enjoyable listen. It's been about a week since I first got an earful of "Restless Rubes," and not a day has gone by where I haven't been either listening, or humming the melodies to myself. Surely a contender for album of '08 so far, and a record which comes thoroughly recommended to anyone with a liking for good, honest rock of any variety.
4.2/5
