born ruffians

born ruffians


Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow and Blue
[warp: 2008]

Out of an impressive range of debut records last year, one that still stands out for its unique, off-kilter approach to the pop genre is Born Ruffians ‘Red, Yellow and Blue’.
The three-piece hailing from Toronto steer clear of traditional pop music structures, and work with Animal Collective-like melodic repetition, unpredictable lyrical phrasing, and syncopated polyrhythms between guitar, bass, percussion and shared vocals. Singer/guitarist Luke LaLonde’s uniquely pre-adolescent squeaks are offset by accompanying layers of hoots, yelps, shrieks, as well as some really sweet three-part harmonies from his band members – each person being responsible for the end sound of each song. The result is a collection of super-catchy pop tunes that actually become better and highly addictive the more you listen to them. Highlights include ‘Foxes Mate for Life’, ‘I Need a Life’ and ‘Kurt Vonnegut’. Very fun.



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