The Born Ruffians

http://www.bornruffians.com/new/

http://www.myspace.com/bornruffians 

Let me start this off by saying…KEXP is my b.f.f, my lifeline and my sanity. I thank my lucky stars the day iTunes came out and I can listen to my Seattle station deep in the plastic of Orange County, CA. Check it out!

www.kexp.org

So that is my intro. That is where I found these guys originally. Another note on my "to-do" list.

Yet the album showed up in my iTunes with no explanation, but I think we all have that now and again where you don’t remember where you got it, but it is there. Maybe my brother Mr. CNOTE, hooked me up on his last visit. Again, I’m not sure.

I never listened to the entire album consecutively until recently. It is one of those albums that my shuffle is obsessed with. I like that though, especially early in the morning when I am in route to work. It is something to start my blood pushing through my veins to wake my sleepy head up (at least until I can get to Starbucks).

They are a touch different than most of the stuff I am stuck on, but that is not saying much. The only thing I can compare them to is if Vampire Weekend had a love child with the band The View. Again, not entirely the best comparison, but I believe it holds some truth.

Their album – Red, Yellow and Blue is one that works well if you need a pick-me-up, or definitely great if you are with a ton of people jumping around enjoying life. Kind of reminds me of “Pain in the Grass” days where we all would go to the Seattle Center every Friday night during the summer for a free concert under the Space Needle. Same vibe. (Seana B – where are you my dancing friend!?!)

I like that even the mellower songs are still up beat in some sort of way. For example, the song I love is “Little Garçon” which starts out with that lovely feel to it, and slowly picks up tempo, but cute.

Should I refer to a song as “cute”?

Oh heck, so be it. That is the best way to describe the song, including the one that keeps getting stuck in my head called “Hedonistic Me” but then again, I’m a firm believer in Hedonistic thinking. That may be why?

Back to the music - getting side tracked.

I will be honest, I really have to be in the mood for this sort of fast, higher funky type of music. It isn’t a sound I usually seek out when I am not sure what I want to listen to. I normally like my mellow guitar singer/song writers, or for the fast - old school punk (variety).

Maybe I wouldn’t be as grumpy if I did listen to more of this sort of music though? Food for thought?

With that being said, I don’t think I have ever hit “skip” when this album pops up in a shuffle. The songs stay with me too. That takes something. I find myself walking the shop at work, humming “I need a life” with a little bounce to my step. That can’t be a bad thing, right?

So with this being a sound I don’t normally revolve around, or seek – I have to blame my brother. Chris is my music guru. I love his passion in music, sometime I agree head over heels with his suggestions, sometime all I can say is "Really?”. But that boy has become very into the faster “perky” music and I think it is wearing off on me.

So I’m finishing this while listening to “Kurt Vonnegut” and having a hard time completing it, since I keep pausing and either tapping on the desk, or forgetting what I was doing. Again, not a bad thing.

To be honest though, I am struggling with this one to share. I am all over the board on why I like this album, when it isn’t really my “type” of album. I guess you will just have to check it out yourself. If you like sunshine, friends, and popsicles, you may definitely like this (again, who knows what that means, but seems to make perfect sense when I am listening). 

Tap your toes!