It’s been a good year for bluesy, percussion-driven, Midwestern rock. The obvious leader is of course The National, but another record very much in the same vein (if not quite as good) that has not been getting nearly the attention it deserves. The band is called New Ruins and the record is The Sound They Make (eMusic) (and a hat tip to Amy at Shake Your Fist for introducing me to them)
It’s the sound of the small town, of short, cold February days, of summer evenings that never seem to end, the smell of corn that drapes over you like a blanket, the lure of the big city that is never quite strong enough to convince you to leave.
Musically, the feature cyclonic guitars that make tight circles around percussion so sharp you could cut yourself. In both these respects, it is hard to ignore the similarities with The National. But it is really in the vocals where the comparison become eerie. They feature two vocalists, one of whom fits nicely in the tradition of roots-rock with a nice melodic hook and an emotional edge, and a second who virtually perfects the weary-baritone role made famous by Matt Berringer.
Book Lung – New Ruins
Ships – New Ruins
The albums two best tracks provide the best examples of this. First, the opener “Ships” which kicks the album off with a bang – quick paced guitars that pummel like a thousand tiny fists, while the deep vocals drag you slowly under. Second, the clear standout track on the album is the wonderful “Book Lung” which features a percussive refrain that rattles you like gunfire and vocals which move with a sense of terror, well-hidden by the languid grace of their delivery, but still unshakable. To hear this song is to walk through a dying town, to see the ghosts of past lives flitting around you, to stare into the distance and wonder what lies out there, just beyond our ability to see. Repeated endlessly is the phrase: “your ghost still walks all around these hills” – it is to realize that somehow you have grown old, that where you once dreamed of getting out now you dream of mortgage payments if you even dream at all.