Born Ruffians

The Born Ruffians have a loveably scruffy and very identifiably "indie” rock sound, and I’ve got to give them points for ambition, but Red, Yellow And Blue doesn’t sound like the work of seasoned musicians. It’s not that it’s bad; it’s just too amateurish, coming off more like a green group with uncommonly cool influences than a confident group of performers and songwriters. The slightly out of tune yelp singing is a detraction, especially in absence of a strong or purposeful delivery, but again, damn do these boys try, including group harmonies on most songs. Often the lyrics resort to too many "whoah ooohs” and it sounds more like a crutch every time the songs fail to go anywhere. Given more time to grow, the Ruffians could develop into something special. As it stands however, their abundant Modest Mouse, Animal Collective and Arcade Fire influences simply sound much better played by their original sources.