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Ruby Red
Studio album by
the Dambuilders
Released1995
Label East West/ Elektra [1]
Producer Don Gehman
The Dambuilders chronology
Encendedor
(1994) 		Ruby Red
(1995) 		God Dambuilders Bless America
(1996)

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]

Production

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]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [12]
Robert Christgau (2-star Honorable Mention) (2-star Honorable Mention) [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]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
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" 

Personnel

  • Dave Derby - vocals, bass
  • Joan Wasser - violin
  • Kevin March - drums
  • Eric Masunaga - guitar

References

  1. ^ Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. ISBN  978-1-62788-379-5. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "The Dambuilders Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  3. ^ "Music: The Dambuilders Final Frontier (Salt Lake City Weekly . 10-20-97)". The Weekly Wire. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. pp. 707–708.
  5. ^ Miller, Nerissa (3 Aug 1995). "Spring Grove drummer finds home with the Dambuilders". The York Dispatch. p. E11.
  6. ^ "Ruby Red The Dambuilders". The Albuquerque Tribune. 11 Aug 1995. p. E19.
  7. ^ a b "Dambuilders". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Cellars by Starlight: Dambuilders then and now". Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  9. ^ Wolff, Carlo (Jul 1, 1995). "Dambuilders Cover States, One By One". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 26. p. 19.
  10. ^ McLennan, Scott (7 Sep 1995). "Dambuilders make case for rock violin". Telegram & Gazette. p. C4.
  11. ^ Younk, Dave (17 Aug 1995). "The Dambuilders stem tide of fast-paced rock". St. Cloud Times. p. 4E.
  12. ^ a b "Ruby Red". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  13. ^ "Dambuilders". www.robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  14. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 305.
  15. ^ "Recordings". SF Weekly. August 30, 1995. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "Notes". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  17. ^ Moed, Andrea (Oct 1995). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 26. p. 30.
  18. ^ Sullivan, Jim (11 Sep 1995). "Life is better than ever for Better than Ezra". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 33.
  19. ^ Thompson, Stephen (4 Apr 1996). "It's a Big Music Week". Rhythm. Wisconsin State Journal. p. 7.
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