Born to Ruff-ian

I want to start by saying I love the Animal Show. Maybe I need to reiterate that: I truly am both an avid reader and a huge fan. And although that is a clear harbinger of criticism, I hope I’ll be allowed to continue. One of the very few faults of this fantastic beacon of the blogosphere is their unbridled Vampire Weekend devotion, yet total disregard for Born Ruffians. And while the Vamp Weeky deserve a great deal of adulation, Born Ruffians too deserve their fair share.

Hailing from Midland, Ontario, the group is made up of lead hollerer and guitarist Luke LaLonde, with Mitch Derosier on bass and Steven Hamelin on drums. The trio met in high school back in hockey country and have been playing together ever since. They released their first EP back in 2006, Born Ruffians, and, while it ran for just 16 minutes, they quickly and impressively punched everyone who heard it in the face. The first track “This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life”, is an upbeat and honest chronicle of many adolescents’ lives, slamming into its opening with a healthy dose of hollering (as per usual with Born Ruffians) before leading into tender and heartfelt lyrics like “I need a girlfriend I’m lonely/ Someone to love me and fuck me/ I need to get laid immediately/ but also one to fulfill my needs.” In this instance Born Ruffians demonstrate both their honesty and borderline vulgarity. While they don’t even attempt to reach the impressive baudy heights of, say, that voice of a generation Cam’ron, I’m not sure those lyrics are exactly PG. I would go through the other five songs but, frankly, this article is already longer than I intended.

In 2008, they released their first LP, Red, Yellow & Blue (also the name of the first track). With the Born Ruffians EP, they had to quickly make their mark; Red, Yellow & Blue is a more controlled chaos. They are similar to Vampire Weekend minus Africa and the Upper West Side. Both feature impressive falsettos at the helm and hooting and hollering galore. Remember how cool Veepy Weepy was until every wannabe and top 40 listener knew who they were? Well, that’s Born Ruffians! All the cool and fun minus the mainstream! Think how cool you will be again!

I just realized how excessive and annoying those exclamation points are. I apologize, and I will cease.

Back to Red, Yellow & Blue: I will for the most part let the record speak for itself, which it does effectively in its fun, upbeat and simple melodies. I do however feel inclined to mention one technique that Born Ruffians use to keep their songs interesting:  halfway through their songs, they tend to completely change the style. The first half of “Little Garçon” is Luke LaLonde softly professing his love with his co-troubadors backing him up with some beautiful humming. But at about 2:06 the song begins to pick up the pace and change temperament completely. Another example of this signature mid-song change is on “Kurt Vonnegut.” The song starts loud and strong with the usual hollering, yet at about 2:29 the song begins its true genesis: the rest of the track is a round between the three, with instruments gradually dropping off until all is left is simply a beating bass drum and vocals. The second part is a truly striking Romeo-esque call to a Juliet up in her bedroom attempting to woo her down for a healthy dose of teenage lovemaking (see above).

Born Ruffians are currently in the early stages of writing and recording their next album. They have not yet set a date, but they suggest sometime either at the end of ’09 or early ’10. So in conclusion, not just for me, but for you, start blaring Born Ruffians and ride atop the beautiful wave of your very own trend (well mine, but I’ll lend it to you). I’ll start you off with one classic from Born Ruffians, and two great jams off of Red, Yellow & Blue and let you discover the rest with the multiple listens that I promise will ensue.

This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life – Born Ruffians (YSI)

Barnacle Goose – Born Ruffians (YSI)

Kurt Vonnegut – Born Ruffians (YSI)

What are you waiting for. Invest in your very own copy!