Tilly and the Wall/Ruby Suns/The Coathangers @ Variety Playhouse
ben posted this concert onJuly 25th, 2008
I’ve spent the last 20 minutes trying to think of a polite way to describe how much I hated Ruby Suns’ set. After all that time, the nicest thing I can say about them is:
Listening to Ruby Suns live makes me want to gnaw my arm off.
Their sound is a combination of Afro-pop, Brazilian Tropicalia, and late 80’s Manchester beats. Sounds interesting, right? Not the way Ruby Suns play it.
Instead, every single second of the two songs I managed to sit through sounded like the boring opening seconds of a really uninspired Animal Collective ripoff. You know, those seconds that are “purposefully” boring as a way of building a song’s atmosphere. When those 20 to 30 seconds are up, there’s this big burst of noise that (in a good song) tie into and expand upon the simple melodies of the song’s introduction. Instead, Ruby Suns just kept playing the same damn boring music, transitioning lifelessly between discreet sections of songs, bobbing around next to their instruments like the most boring pair of parakeets in the world.
Checking out Ruby Suns on their myspace page, they sound almost listenable. That’s the insidious trap these sons of bitches have built - an interesting fusion of influences, and music that’s just competent enough to make you want to see a live show.
Do not be fooled.
(Oh, and The Coathangers were great, as usual.)