The Ruse

The opening track of The Ruse’s debut album Invasion sets the stage for the mediocrity to come throughout the 41 minutes of the disc. “Lay You Down” is about as generic and middling as radio rock comes these days, with a chorus that swells melodramatically and guitar parts that could not be more histrionic if they tried. “Sit Down and Stare Out”, the second song, sounds almost exactly the same as “Lay You Down.” Lyrically it’s far too childish to be taken seriously and musically it’s passable, but only just.

“Short Pause”, the third song, is decent enough. It’s of a more acoustic nature than the first two songs and melodically it’s sort of pretty, but the lyrics are problematic once again. The Ruse seem to lean towards soppy, teenage-esque verse in their lyrics, which is okay I suppose, but isn’t exactly fulfilling for the more discriminating listener. Next comes “Change Your Mind”, which is virtually indiscernible from everything else on the disc.

“Impressed With The Mess”, “Mother”, and “Stopping the World” are really neither here nor there… listening to them is sort of like when you finish reading a chapter in a book and can remember absolutely nothing about what you just read.

“Wanted More” is undeniably the best song on this album, as it has a relatively catchy melody and doesn’t rely on the standard pop-punk sensibilities to get by. Tracks 9 and 10, “Wonderful” and “Prisoner”, really aren’t worth mentioning, and so I’ll leave it up to you to guess why. Ending an album on a weak note is never a good idea, but The Ruse do this anyways with “Right On Time”, a mid-tempo number that (needless to say by this point in the review) sounds absolutely, positively and fucking completely like every other song on Invasion.

There’s nothing particularly awful about The Ruse’s music, but there’s nothing particularly captivating either. It’s the kind of generic, inoffensive, middle-of-the-road music that you might hear in a mall crowded full of angsty 14 year old girls. If artistry, intellect, and musicianship are not things that you look for in the music you listen to, you might like Invasion. If not, I would recommend you stay as far away from The Ruse as possible.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Lay You Down
02. Sit Down Stare Out
03. Short Pause
04. Change Your Mind
05. Impressed With the Mess
06. Mother
07. Wanted More
08. Stopping The World
09. Wonderful
10. Prisoner
11. Right On Time

Run Time: 41:70