#ReubenReform
I’ve been hearing and reading for the past 24 hours, rumors on the social network stratosphere that there is a rising consensus to see Reuben reform. Just to throw my 10 pence in, I wanted to say what they mean to me.
Reuben are without doubt, my favourite band. I think they always will be too; in my relatively long-lived music obsession, Reuben are the longest standing favourites – I got into them in late 2007 whilst on holiday in Australia. There have been several bands throughout my life where a country I have been in at the time has just encapsulated my feelings or thoughts.
Notable occurrences was discovering early Biffy Clyro material in Scotland (ironic coincidence I know), the Arctic Monkeys in New Zealand and the Mars Volta when I lived in London. I don’t know quite what it is when you discover a new band and a new place at the same time, they seem to intertwine and feed off of each other.
Every time I get off at Bethnal Green tube station, all I hear in my head now is Cotopaxi. Serious.
In 2004, Reuben, after a series of EP’s and B-side releases, released their debut album Racecar Is Racecar Backwards. The record is in my opinion, a British Rock classic. It opens with the blistering ‘No-One Wins The War’, a blasting drum intro into one of Reuben’s trademark discordant riffs, and lyrics discussing vocalist Jamie Lenman’s approach to life. And the album doesn’t really change from there, it takes you on a journey.
Reuben’s perfect balance between heavy and melody is what is so fascinating to me, how they blend the discordant riffs with complex 3 way harmonies. The ambitious spectrum of songs – the fact that ‘Missing Fingers’ and ’Horror Show’ are on the same record is astonishing. The sheer emotion poured into these songs as Lenman explains his pain over breaking up with his girlfriend surpasses cliche and is not even a cause for question.
Guy Davis’ complex drumming is present in every song, from the truly masterful chops of the ‘Fall Of The Bastille’ to the simple, but incredibly creative ‘Parties Break Hearts’, his brand of drumming is consistent – making even the simplest, cleanest riffs sound heavy if he wants them to. Few drummers can actually build atmosphere on top of rhythm.
It would make my life if they got back together. It pains me that i’ve never seen them live and I would move heaven and earth to see a comeback show. PLEASE.
