So, here’s how my morning started. I’d woken up at eight, four hours earlier than I could have in order to get hold of some priceless Foo Fighters tickets. After half an hour on the phone and internet, I’d totally failed to get even one. I was in a bad mood. A very bad mood. And then the postman knocks on my door with a certain album I’d been waiting for for almost a year.
Oh Reuben. Reuben, Reuben, Reuben. I want to take each of you and shake you by the shoulders in the hope that you’ve got some good songs left in you that I can extract and replace with some of the stinkers you’ve chosen for your second album. It’s release date is three weeks away! Twenty-one days to replace some of the letdowns on ‘Very Fast, Very Dangerous’.
I hope, more than anything in the world, that this album doesn’t fall into the hands of someone who’s never heard Reuben before. Imagine being innocent to the wonder that is ‘Moving To Blackwater’ and having ‘A Kick In The Mouth’ forced upon you instead. What a waste. If you’re reading this as a Reuben virgin, DON’T BUY THIS YET. There’s a little gem called ‘Racecar Is Racecar Backwards’ you can get your hands on, it’s much more worthwhile….let it sink in… and then buy this.
The main trouble with this album is the songs’ choruses. Take ‘Lights Out’ for example. You have a typical Reuben verse and then you expect the lads to hit you with a bit of a surprise for the chorus, their usual winning technique….but no. Their songs are more predictable than the punchline to a Bruce Forsyth joke. Same applies to ‘A Kick In The Mouth’, killer verse, boring chorus. It’s such a shame because I know what Reuben are capable of…and it’s just not this.
The whole album seems very rushed. Set to be released only 15 months after their debut could be something to do with it, it’s as if they’re worried their fans will disappear if they don’t record something quickly. We wouldn’t. We haven’t. It’s lucky that they are an entertaining live band, songs such as ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’ and ‘It’s All About Control’ have been introduced at previous shows and carry a lot more substance when played live rather than recorded. I think however that the latter could easily become the new ‘Freddy Kreuger’ with its singalong chorus that will entice one or two wannabe straight-edgers.
Okay, okay, that’s the bad stuff out of the way. This is Reuben after all, they are actually incapable of writing a completely terrible album. ‘Blamethrower’ is easily the best song on the album and I like the talking bit. I think I may be the only person in the world who does, but I think it adds something different to the song…maybe to the whole album. ‘Boy’ also kicks the arse of debut album slow-dances ‘Dusk’ and ‘Song For Saturday’, it’s a beautiful little number which I instantly liked and a good choice of ending for the album, you could imagine it being used for a kissing scene in an edgy Disney film. No, honestly, it’s good. As for ‘Return Of The Jedi’….now this is what Reuben are made of! Especially at 2 minutes and 34 seconds. Cor, blimey that’s a bit sexy. Forget descriptions and comparisons, I’m going to leave that song as a bit of a surprise for you.
Another positive, Jamie Lenman’s held onto his awesome lyrical ability, with jolly good lines such as, “kissing him…and when she pulls away she’s got his heart dangling from her mouth” ‘Best Enemies’ proclaims, a song which has grown on me considerably since I first heard it.
That last sentiment is my whole hope for the whole album, it has to be a grower. It has to be, I’ve only listened to it four times and it’s not working its full magic yet…but time will tell. Ask me in six months time how I feel about ‘Very Fast Very Dangerous’ and I might say “corrr, second favourite album ever”…but I doubt it. It’s good, but it’s not very good, very excellent. As long as they redeem themselves with their single B-sides, I won’t be buying any drum & bass albums just yet.
Three stars out of five.
You can check out their website at www.wordsfromreuben.com.