| Ruby Red | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Label | East West/Elektra [1] | |||
| Producer | Don Gehman | |||
| The Dambuilders chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ruby Red is an album by the American band the Dambuilders, released in 1995. [2] [3] It was the band's first major label album of completely new material. [4]
The first single was "Teenage Loser Anthem". [5] The band supported the album by touring with Better Than Ezra. [6]
The album was produced by Don Gehman. [7] [8] Its lyrics were written by the singer and bass player Dave Derby; all four band members wrote the music. [9] Gehman encouraged the band to think more about its vocal harmonies, and the intertwining of Derby's and Joan Wasser's voices. [10] "Smooth Control" employed a pedal steel guitar. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Robert Christgau |  [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [14] |
Trouser Press wrote that "there are some good songs, and Derby does some nice things vocally—his falsetto on 'Down' would give Radiohead’s Thom Yorke a run for his money —but it’s a letdown from a band that has rarely disappointed in the past." [7] SF Weekly thought that "Derby's lyrics alternately capture the urge to move (down the highway, into the stratosphere) and the realization that you're often literally or figuratively stuck in one space." [15] The Nashville Scene deemed the album full of "bombastic would-be anthems and strained power ballads." [16]
CMJ New Music Monthly called it "a crystal-clear confection of hooky, muscular guitar riffs and occasional flights of fiddle." [17] The Boston Globe opined that the band "has shifted away from dissonance (good move) while retaining the punk, punch and power." [18] The Wisconsin State Journal stated that the songs "coolly incorporate violins and creative guitar work to create a uniquely creepy, undeniably compelling rock sound." [19]
AllMusic called the album "a raw, unpretentious indie masterpiece that seems to have had few champions." [12]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smooth Control" | |
| 2. | "Special Ed" | |
| 3. | "Teenage Loser Anthem" | |
| 4. | "Drive By Kiss" | |
| 5. | "Lazy Eye" | |
| 6. | "Bending Machine" | |
| 7. | "Velocidad" | |
| 8. | "Rocket to the Moon" | |
| 9. | "Cosmonaut" | |
| 10. | "St. Tamarindo" | |
| 11. | "Down" | |
| 12. | "I Forget Myself" |
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The Dambuilders was an indie rock band that began in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, in 1989 and later relocated to Boston. They released seven LPs and a number of EPs before breaking up in 1998. Members have gone on with other musical projects, including the band's violinist/vocalist, Joan Wasser, as Joan as Police Woman. Kevin March also became well known in indie circles as the drummer of the band Guided by Voices, which he joined in 2002. Dave Derby is the leader and main songwriter of the New York City-based collective of artists known as Gramercy Arms, which has included collaborations with both Wasser and March.
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