In Nothing We Trust Review

Release Date: Jun 25, 2007
Label: Hideous
Genres: Rock
Number Of Tracks: 11
“In Nothing We Trust� is a far more experimental album than their previous efforts.

Sound:	9.5
Lyrics:	9.5
Impression:	9.5
Overall rating:	9.5
Users rating:	9.5
Comments:	12

overall: 9.3

Featured review by: UG Team, on july 09, 2007

Sound: “Look like tramps, sound like Kings.” That’s the motto that UK three-piece Reuben has adopted in recent years. Their sound is a rather shape-shifting combination of dirty rock ‘n roll, hardcore and pop. Their first two albums, “Racecar Is Racecar Backwards” and “Very Fast Very Dangerous” were both incredibly well received in the UK, and they’ve got a large cult following on these shores. As far as I’m aware, they haven’t really broken through anywhere else but in the UK we love them. I was lucky enough to see them live last February, and they played a couple of songs from their upcoming album “In Nothing We Trust”, and I thought they were brilliant. I bought this album on the day of release as I know that Jamie Lenman and co. never disappoint.

“In Nothing We Trust” is a far more experimental album than their previous efforts. “Racecar Is Racercar Backwards” was a straight-up hardcore/rock album, and it's successor was (with a couple of exceptions) just a hard-hitting modern rock album. This time there’s a lot more elements that come into play. You can still recognise the sound that Reuben had previously but they’ve dabbled in things like electronics, metal and post-rock (and something which vaguely resembles progressive rock in parts of “Suffocation Of The Soul”).

Their live performance a couple of months ago was intense, and it was mostly due to the incredibly energetic drum performance from Guy Davis. Halfway through the gig he actually had to go offstage to rest (and the drummer of the support band Sucioperro played the next song). His performance on “In Nothing We Trust” doesn’t surprise me in this aspect at all. There’s times where he’s playing fairly simple rock beats with little touches which give him a distinctive style, and some where’s he’s whacking his drums at such insane rates that sometimes they almost turn into white noise, I swear. He even plays some searing double bass drums on a couple of songs. As with all three-pieces, his drumming has to form brilliantly with the music as there’s nothing to cover him up if he’s just slapping standard beats onto the tracks. The guy has dedication and undisputable technical skill. Stellar performance.

Bassists in British rock bands very rarely have any kind of distinction from the guitars, but (partly due to the originality of the guitar parts) he always stands out. He has gorgeous fuzzy tone, which helps, but his basslines always connect with the guitar parts perfectly, and he drives a lot of the more upbeat songs with some pretty catchy runs (though I can’t help but notice he did this better on “Very Fast Very Dangerous”). On the slower/quieter songs he isn’t quite as prominent but there’s no loss as in these sections the rest of the band more than make up for it.

Jamie Lenman’s humour and attitude to working in music is very uplifting, and is I think one of the big reasons why his band has got such a devout fanbase. The riffs he writes are always exciting and get you pumping (see ‘Blamethrower’ if you don’t believe me) and this time, I think that’s changed a little. However, it’s not for the worse. The guitar parts are more mature (the album in general is), but there’s no quality lost, just the direct bite and pace of their previous album’s guitar work is gone, and replaced with often more complex guitar parts which make you think more than they make you tap your foot. There’s more work with acoustic guitars on “In Nothing We Trust”, and some of the sections where they’re used are absolutely beautiful (and unlike some of their previous mellow songs, don’t get dull). The songwriting in closer “A Short History Of Nearly Everything” in particular is phenomenal, with so many different moods given off climaxing in a crazy hardcore finish.

The vocals on this effort are massively improved. Jamie’s screams have more attack (though they certainly weren’t lacking in that department before), and he maintains a high intensity even when he’s playing equally brutal guitar parts (see “We’re All Going Home In An Ambulance”). His clean voice was good on previous albums; it did it's job perfectly fine, however on this new album he’s phenomenal. His voice is perfect in the quiet parts, particularly on ‘Good Luck’ where the vocal duties are split three ways, between himself, Hannah Clark (of Arthur, an underground band) and Paul Townsend (ex-Hundred Reasons). His style is perfect for each song, with something more traditional for “Agony/Agatha” (what is essentially a pop song), and something a little more urgent sounding for “Three Hail Marys” (a song written during the “Very Fast Very Dangerous” sessions, it shows). // 9

Lyrics and Singing: Jamie’s lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, opinionated, and incredibly to-the-point. There’s no mucking about here. He sings about what he wants and isn’t going to go off on an artistic tangent at the cost of his point. Themes vary from the music scene to relationships to getting drunk on a Saturday night. He’s a great guy and his lyrics are a portrayal of that. Of course, he isn’t nice to everyone (there’s some songs which are just plain old rants) but the lyrics have humour and class (yes, even “Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit”), and those qualities are something which I’d like to see more in music, there’s too many pseudo-intellectuals in charge of their band’s lyrics these days. More Jamie Lenman, less Chris Martin please. // 10

Impression: “In Nothing We Trust” is an incredibly solid release. There’s only one song which I don’t particularly enjoy (“Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit”, though most Reuben songs which I don’t like at first grow on me) but all of the others are fantastic. It’s got some of Reuben’s heaviest and softest songs, and overall the sound has matured a lot. The guitar work has gotten more interesting, the drumming has mellowed out just a little, and the bass playing is as consistent as ever. The vocals, though, are the definite focal point of the album. The highlight songs are “We’re All Going Home In An Ambulance”, “Suffocation Of The Soul” and “Good Luck” but the whole album is definitely worth a purchase. It definitely beats “Racecar Is Racecar Backwards” and I think that given time it will overtake “Very Fast Very Dangerous” in my books also. They’re getting better with every release, Reuben are. // 9

overall: 9.7

Reviewed by: LAWRENCE_FA, on january 21, 2008

Sound: The album kicks off in terrific apocalyptic style with Cities On Fire. This song is very dark, the darkest song I have ever heard from the Surrey based band. The song is not nessescarily the bearer of a huge meaning that I can discearn, but when I listen to it, it provokes a wave of emotion, a sense of doom and darkness, that there is invariably a silence is held for. The next song is the powerful We're All Going Home In An Ambulance. This song is about racism and Jamie Lenham carries the message perfectly. The song comes from the heart, unlike some of the bands that conjour up lyrics from another person's point of view, this clearly is based on Lenham and his upbringing. "At school the choices I made were rock n roll bands and getting good grades. But brains and wearing all black, to some of these guys it's like a red flag", is such a truthful statement, and clearly comes from the heart. This song is powerful to listen to, you find yourself nodding along to it with a focus in your eye, making you look like a bit of a dick but nonetheless it is a tremendous song, especially at the outstanding bridge with the chant "We're all goin 'ome in a f--kING ambulance!", a point that made me cackle at the well placement of the chant most heard on the terraces.

Suffocation Of The Soul is much of the same theme, coming straight from Lenham and his experiences. At the start, it sounds odd, with the previous two songs in mind, it sounds not quiet but sort of soft. You can sense a build, and it comes a minute and a half into the song, to much satisfaction, but the song is not like the others, it IS sort of softer and very emotional, much from Lenham's perspective. It is a sort of depressing song, but not in the sense of Aiden and Hawthorne Heights's irritating dirge rock, but in a powerful sense, that you can listen happily to on a rainy day. That may be an oxymoron, but I know what I mean. Deadly Lethal Ninja Assasin is sort of like a counter to this song then, a sort of "Nah, we're only joking, have someting a bit more chipper." It is catchy to the point of insanity; when I first heard the song on Scuzz, I found myself singing it for the entireity of the next day. The meaning is strange, the chorus seems to have a recurrent theme, but the verses seem almost irrelevant, but it's a very catchy song, more poppy than the rest of the album, but certainly a great song.

An Act Of Kindness definitely seems to tackle the theme of abortion. It starts off with influences that seem obvious to me I just can't place them. It gets really catchy; it seems not a million miles away from a lot of things, but then at times it seems like it is. It's an odd song for me because at times I think I can place it then I cant. It's like a rock song, but with some influences from the more hardcore genres. It breaks off into hardcore, with screaming and heavy distortion. It is a very good song really, and I find it hard to discuss. Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bulls*it I love before I've even heard it. Flicking through the lyrics, it is extrodinarily articulate for any song I have heard, I have never heard a song this clear cut in it's meaning, it feels like Lenham has written the lyrics from his head, THEN written the music. "I don't like Joy Division, I don't like Morissey or their new impersonators, Kings of MTV, sucking at the teat of the enemy!" he shouts feircely. And you know what? He's right, he's god damn right. Personally, I don't mind Joy Division, and there are some indie bands I like but yes. They are just impersonators, these indie bands, who don't do anything individual, and try to emulate the eighties, they are sucking up to NME and desperately trying to appeal. He's not digging at indie, he's digging at the whole attitudes that come with a lot of these bands. Oh yes, and the song's damn good n all.

Good Luck is a surprise, it's an acoustic song from Lenham, discussing his boss firing him, and his bitterness, which is easy to hear, but a total shock after the pure aggression of Crushed Under The Weight... and there is a noteworthy vocal turn from Hannah Clarke, that really puts the icing on the cake and shows how diverse these guys are. This could appeal to the masses, the pop loving kids, but they'll never know, because Reuben don't want to grace the pop charts, they'll keep the diversity. I cannot keep up with this track by track guide, I will merely say the rest of the songs are awesome, both in their music and their raw meaning that is conveyed awesomely, with conviction, fury and a mind that knows what he is talking about, not contriving an event that never happened, unlike so many of these bands do these days. Lenham says the last album that blew him away was Every Time I Die, three years ago, but he has done this to me now. Hats off. Also, the drumming in Blood Bunny Larkhall is sublime. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: I've just said what the lyrics are about and like, so there's no point in repeating them in this mandatory box. But Lenham is a very individual singer. He doesnt't sing like an american 'pop punk' band, he doesnt't snarl like punk, he doesnt't whine like the emo/post hardcore bands are doing and he doesn't just scream. His singing style is either new to me or very individual, and it is in the best possible way. He feels like a conscience in my head, and it's a bit weird. I like it very much. // 9

Impression: The most impressive songs, to me, are Blood Bunny Larkhall, Cities On Fire and We're All Going Home In An Ambulance. But this album is all good. I'm not even joking, it's ALL good. How is this possible? I do not dislike anything at all to be frank. and that's very strange. is this album was stolen, I would bend over backwards to get myself another, it is superb. I can't stress this enough. // 10

Comments

[Linkinbassist]

Reuben come from my local scene.

I have a signed copy of the new album as i went to their Midnight signing! top blokes they are!

[=BassPlayer=]

Reuben
are
ftw
got every song they have EVER DONE
including all the singles covers and albums
we rock \m/

[TheZookeeper]

Got this album today and I must say it rules. I pretty much agree with everything this reviewer has said, especially what he said about the riff on Blamethrower, which is my favourite Reuben song.
Good review, great album *thumbs up*

[Set-Abominae]

Never heard these guys, but I have a friend named Reuben haha...

[=BassPlayer=]

TheZookeeper wrote:

Got this album today and I must say it rules. I pretty much agree with everything this reviewer has said, especially what he said about the riff on Blamethrower

That is quite true.
The music these guys create is legendary
one of my favourite bands of all time

[mr.glavin]

reuben rule!!! They grew up near me.

[Sirnogbert]

Please give me an album that i love straight away, that I don't have to grow into, after constant play.

COngratulations Reuben, this is exactly what you'vedone with this album.

[DNC]

this album is absolutely brilliant. from the dissonant parts of songs that are always changing, to the sweet, sad and laid back Good Luck.

Loved every minute.

[Jin12345678]

they don't sell these in korea so I had to order them through amazon and its taking a f***ing long time!!!!
Hey reuben has fans in Korea too!! me and my friends' favorite band they are

[mr.glavin]

i ****ing love this album

[LAWRENCE_FA]

pure class, good review too

[adr11iano]

reuben are f**king awesome

saw em live in notting couple of weeks ago
great night