Pros: Some of the last guitars from George Harrison, two good songs, one okay song...
Cons: Absolutely, completely forgettable...
The Bottom Line: Unless you are a major fan of Dishwalla, Goo Goo Dolls, Verve Pipe, Tonic or a herd of other sound-alike throwaway pop-rock bands then you don't want to buy Rise.
The album opens and I’m immediately left with a bad taste in my mouth. Not because Happy in the Sunshine is a horrible song, rather because it is in all disposable mushy rock. Rubyhorse blends elements of post-grunge with the worst elements of Brit-pop to little success. Rise is in turn completely forgettable.
Hailing from Ireland, the band took up residence in Boston before signing to major label Island. Even with three Boston Music Awards to their name, I’m still lost as to why the band has was awarded national tours, support from George Harrison, and comparisons to much superior acts like the Verve, the Beatles, and U2. Not one of those things is deserved. Rubyhorse sounds fine enough, but bands like the Wallflowers, Semisonic, Oasis, and Counting Crows have perfected the sound that Rubyhorse is clearly trying to copy. Great bands do not copy sounds, they make them. Hence, Rubyhorse as it stands is nothing more than a band that will be here one day and gone the next.
Five friends from Cork, Ireland formed the band (named after a Wonder Stuff song) in 1997. Dave Farrell (vocals), Owen Fegan (keyboards), Gordon Ashe (drummer), Joe Philpott (guitar), and Decky Lucey (bass) try too damn hard to be somebody else. This leaves me to question who Rubyhorse really is and whether or not they can ever get past the fact that they are copying every contemporary wishy-washy rock band currently in existence. It is even difficult to speculate whether or not the band is talented. Certainly Farrell’s vocals are sweet and inviting, but even those seem somehow recycled. Kind of like a less throaty and more pop Jakob Dylan. The rest of the music elements are similarly unchallenging and in the end boring on the whole.
The unquestionably mediocre Rise represents the band’s first full-length effort. While not all debuts are stellar, they should at least give listeners an idea that the band might have something to offer in the future. Rather, Rubyhorse seems to be a flash in the pan. I highly doubt that the band will ever come up with anything more successful that their quickly and largely forgotten 2002 debut. Consider for a second the fact that the band was able to record but a few even moderately decent tracks for Rise. Sparkle, Punchdrunk, and Happy In The Sunshine are all acceptable recordings. But Punchdrunk is certainly the singular reason this album got made. It features some of the final guitar work of George Harrison. Had this song not existed, Rise would have certainly been shelved.
Punchdrunk saunters smoothly with a lovely base of acoustic guitar and piano. It is here that clearly the band draws comparisons to both The Beatles and The Verve. The jangle-pop layers make for a decent ballad. Even the occasional strings are enchanting. Big, round, and uplifting Punchdrunk is one of the three best songs on Rise.
Sparkle is a second song worth checking out. It is, in fact, the only track to be released on any scale by the band as a single. On some levels, I do indeed like Sparkle, but it is also the kind of song that blends into the scenery. When it would come on the radio, I didn’t really care who performed it. Rubyhorse sounds like everybody else. Sparkle is slightly better than at least eight of the other tracks in because of the unique beginning. Marked by Farrell’s solo vocals and just a lightly plucked guitar, the song adds more and more elements as it progresses. But in the end it never quite goes anywhere. While it is a fine enough track, it just doesn’t leave any lasting imprint.
The final song worth mentioning as “good” is album opener Happy In The Sunshine. It actually is the best of the worst of the album. Clearly, the band was trying to do something akin to Zooropa’s many lovely tracks from U2. There are many electronic elements blended with clean, often lackluster guitars. It is certainly decent enough to get mainstream radio play, but it is impossible to believe that the song could ever draw anybody in to the album or band. The mix of Zooropa sound in the beginning is completely in contrast to the disposable pop-rock that follows. As Happy In The Sunshine progresses (digresses?) it becomes increasingly frustrating. Yes, believe it or not it is indeed one of the best three songs of Rise.
That certainly doesn’t say much for the quality of the eight songs that are left. In all they blend unmercifully together. They are indeed the current version of the long-since-forgotten Dishwalla. Not just that, Farrell always sounds like the less-talented kin of Jakob Dylan. That fact cannot be mentioned too many times. It is quite possible that many people mistook these songs (including Punchdrunk and Sparkle) for the work of that much superior pop-rock act.
Rubyhorse puts the same sort of equation into use for each of their songs. Sweet vocals, a building melody, acoustic guitars, light percussion, and jangle-pop sentiments. The lyrics aren’t profound. The music isn’t groundbreaking. The melodies are too comfortable to have not been explored by past, better acts. Any Day Now is sweet and smooth, but too much so. The band can’t seem to assemble songs that even near challenging the audience. I hate to criticize an audience as a whole, but Rubyhorse is for dull, uncreative people. The band represents the worst kind of music given to the world throughout the 1990’s and even today.
Into the Lavender, Evergreen, Horseless, Bitter, Teenage Distraction, Live Through This and The First of the Year continue in the same throwaway vein. Into the Lavender seems to look in the direction of Oasis/Bush for inspiration. Needless to say, the track isn’t worth even checking out. Evergreen is one of the more contrived offerings. Beginning with a clearly electronic base, the song gets worse as it progresses. This is where the band tries unsuccessfully to be U2 ala Zooropa. Horseless tries to be something slightly funky and risky, but in the end is just sticky sweet dung. Bitter on the other hand sounds like the band swallowed a heavy dose of Creed. Mind you, this is not a positive comparison.
As Rise nears an end it continues to be a wholly painful listen. Teenage Distraction doesn’t do a damn thing for me while Live Through This’s contrived melody is certainly an homage to The Beatles. And a bad homage at that. Similarly bad is The First of the Year. No band this unremarkable should ever attempt to use a Mellotron. It just comes off as a sad attempt at emulating an idol.
Rise is bad. Aside from a few decent tracks including the mostly excellent Punchdrunk and Sparkle, the all of Rise is inexcusably horrid. Not because the songs themselves are indigestible, rather because they go down like vanilla pudding. Weak, boring, and in the end pretty much without merit. As I mentioned earlier, had it not been for Harrison’s slide guitar the album would have remained unmade. The world would have certainly been better off had it been without Rubyhorse.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. Happy In The Sunshine
2. Sparkle
3. Any Day Now
4. Into The Lavender
5. Evergreen
6. Horseless
7. Punchdrunk
8. Bitter
9. Teenage Distraction
10. Live Through This
11. The First Of The Year
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