I’d like to point out that the first track of this album blew me away. However this is the problem with putting the best track first, nothing after can possibly live up to it. ‘Room Without A Key’ kicks off the album with a soulful acoustic bounce while the funky synth-assisted breakdown at the end makes you wonder why in the hell this band would ever consider labeling themselves as ‘pop.’ The following tracks aren’t as sonically impressive, although they continue to carry on the same soulful tone. The mood jarringly shifts with ‘I Feel Electric,’ the album’s lead single which features bouncy synths and a throwback techno vibe that sharply contrasts the tone of the opening tracks. The dancefloor theme continues with ‘Stand in Line,’ which daringly (if uncomfortably) fuses the acoustic with the dancefloor. The result is a downplayed electro-disco number that is enjoyable to listen to even as it falls out of step with the ever-shifting tone of the album. It seems that Rubies are at their best when they are not trying to please the club-going pop crowd. The soothing plucks of ‘Silver Mornings’ bring back the laid-back vibe of the album’s opening. It is amazing that they can do so much so well, but the conflicting styles make this sound like a nine track compilation disc rather than a complete album. My theory is that if you’re only going to offer nine tracks, they’d better be flawless and unwaveringly cohesive. The Rubies make good music. Their number one problem is figuring out which kind of music they want to make.
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