Released: 8/4/09
Label: Sub Pop Records
BLURB - Not quite there, yet. The Fruit Bat's sound will strike a chord for any fan of The Shins as the two sound eerily similar. This should come as no surprise, however, as Fruit Bats frontman Eric Johnson recently joined The Shins. How perfect. This genre of intellectual alternative pop music, though, is a tricky hill to climb. It's very easy to fall into a rut, forcing words to music. I'd have to be heavily persuaded that this record was not written with a guitar in one hand and a thesaurus in the other. That being said, what the Fruit Bats do great is tell stories. Each track is like a three minute novel filled with adjectives and guitars, filled with bright melodies and major chords. There is also a very understated country twang to this record. It's not overwhelming, think of it more in the vein of the subtle country nuances that Josh Rouse or Brendan Benson use. I love The Shins but hate country music, so maybe that's why I'm not completely sold on, 'The Ruminant Band' just yet.
Rating - 7.5 out of 10
FULL STORY - The trouble with this record is almost every song sounds alike. Granted the Fruit Bats are a fairly decent band, but it'd be nice to hear more than a few songs on this album that aren't acoustic, mid-tempo tales about someone Eric Johnson saw on the side of a road somewhere. While the writing is creative, yet redundant, it does yield some gems.
The first gem would have to be 'Feather Bed.' With a 60's soft rock vibe and some great vocals, this track is the definitive hit of, 'The Ruminant Band.' The song begs the question - what if Ben Folds, Billy Joel and Boston co-wrote a song? Everything is perfect here. 'Feather Bed' breaks away from the singer/songwriter feel of the record, and it's (pretty much only) here where the band really comes together as one unit. The keyboard, organs and pianos provide a lot of retro flavor, while a couple fuzzy guitar solos and a vintage drum beat solidify the fact that this is indeed a rock song.
'Being On Our Own' is the other gem of this record with Beatle-esque tones and a charming string of acoustic piano chords. As is the general theme of this record, light hearted lyrics tell the stories of Eric Johnson's personal encounters, reminding them it's not so bad being on your own. The melody of the chorus and the background vocals are a perfect match and make 'Being On Our Own' the catchiest song on the record.
'Singing Joy to the World' is a very clever story about a young couple settling for love after going to a Three Dog Night concert and singing 'Joy to the World' together. The track is very folksy and for the most part is solely acoustic guitar. The lack of instrumentation does create quite the intimate atmosphere, reeling the listener in. Each verse is a different event in the relationship, but halfway through the song the well seems to dry up and without much else going on in the song, it's not very tough to become disinterested.
After these three tracks, this album is fairly blurry. 'Feather Bed' is the rock song, 'Being On Our Own' is the catchy song, and 'Singing Joy to the World' is the ballad. The rest of the record is right on par with what it should or is supposed to be - a bright, enchanting collection of clever songs and stories...just don't ask me to differentiate between them. Whereas the three songs I mentioned are distinctly unique and creative, those remaining on the disc are less memorable, despite being creative in their own sense of the word. It's as if these tracks were all taken out of the same 'idea box' and crafted slightly different than one another, attempting to create the perception that they were unique. However, it is more than clear that they are all from the same vein, both wholly and individually.
Point taken, as I write this, 'The Ruminant Band' is already beginning to grow on me. The compositions and instrumentations are very well done, with slight monotony being the only, albeit, blatant, defect in the album. This is a decent record with a nice upside to it, worth a listen.
Tracks
1.) Primitive Man
2.) The Ruminant Band
3.) Tegucigalpa
4.) Beautiful Morning Light
5.) The Hobo Girl
6.) Being On Our Own
7.) My Unusual Friend
8.) Singing Joy to the World
9.) The Blessed Breeze
10.) Feather Bed
11.) Flamingo
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