Reviewed by Jim Coursey
Released: May 1981 Ruts DC (AKA The Ruts) Animal Now Genre: Reggae-Tinged New Wave Emo Metal Post-Punk Rating: 3 out of 5 Highlights: Mirror Smashed Slow Down I figured Ruts DC was right in my wheelhouse. I didn’t recall hearing them before, but their bio was promising. A new incarnation of The Ruts, a reggae-inflected English punk group? Check. John Peel was into one of the The Ruts singles? Check. Got their break touring with the Damned? Check. But when the original singer of the Ruts OD’d on heroin in 1980, the band reformed as Ruts D.C., leading to a stylistic update. Sure enough, upon putting this on the first time, I was completely disoriented. I often take genre dysphoria to be a good thing, but with “Animal Now” my first take was intense distaste. “It’s too polished.” “The drummer sounds like he’s a Neil Peart wannabe jamming at a Guitar Center.” “The vocals are… uhh… uhh…” And then my mind devolves into some sort of Beavis and Butthead reverie: Beavis: “They should have a name for this kind of music.” Butt-head: “They already do, Beavis. Crap.” Maybe I’m not alone? It’s not a good sign when the Wikipedia entry for an album merely reads: “The album is notable for having some interesting run-out etchings on the vinyl. The Side A etching reads ‘BEWARE…’; the Side B etching reads ‘...THE CURSE OF ODIN.’ I was less judgy on second listen, but the band still failed to win me over. I don't know what "DC" stands for here, but as a DC-area native, opening track “Mirror Smashed” reminded me of a Dischord band, albeit with a more polished sound. If the whole album sounded like this one I’d be converted: snaky syncopated rhythm, chugging guitars, empassioned emo-esque verses, anthemic (if unmemorable) chorus. The third track, “Slow Down”, also stood out, reminding me a bit of a Damned song, albeit with new wave synth bass and atmospheric production and reggae-ish drum fills. It doesn’t fit neatly into any bucket but it’s not bad. Mostly though their weird mix of post-punk, 70s hard rock, reggae, new wave synths, metal guitar licks, and atmospheric weirdness is less than the sum of its parts. On paper it reminds me of PIL's "Album", an album that connects a number of tribes that would generally not want to be seen (or heard) together, but I like "Album" far better. There are moments of brilliance here – the dime a dozen anti-war tune “No Time To Kill” has a phenomenal instrumental interlude wedged into the middle of it. But these moments are often negated by the confusion or mediocrity – that cool interlude is bookended by a fairly forgettable tune. Really the biggest problem though is the lack of an engaging singer. The vocals on the first cut are decent, but many of the songs feature limp vocals buried in mushy, swirly effects that sound more like they are hiding the vocals than coloring them. (This coming from someone who likes My Bloody Valentine et al.) It’s not that they can’t hit the notes, but for all the passion they feel tepid next to the instruments. Maybe the best example of this is “Different View”, which strangely could be a Pat Benetar album track but for the meh vocal. Judging based on performance alone, I’d put money down that Pat could kick this guy’s ass. That said, this is all subjective, and it wouldn’t surprise me if for another person this is a Discovery. It’s distinctive and mostly well done. But it strikes me as the kind of album that makes advances to many but will appeal to none.
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