Not quite ruined, but definitely a bit rusty.
'Before the Ruin' is the debut album of Scottish trio Kris Drever, John McCusker & Roddy Woomble. If the names all sound familiar, it's because they're all well established acts thrown together by a mutual admiration and enthusiasm for each other's individual material and a desire to explore new musical territory.
Individually, they certainly rack up an impressive amount of industry experience. Kris Drever is a member of folk trio Lau and an established solo artist in his own right (he won a Radio 2 Folk Award in 2007); John McCusker was formerly fiddler for Battlefield Band and is on his third album as a solo artist, and Roddy Woomble is lead singer of Idlewild and has also released solo material. They've ended up playing on each other's projects at various points and also on those of other established artists such as Kate Rusby. On the back of this evidence alone, 'Before the Ruin' should therefore be an almost effortlessly brilliant debut, but unfortunately, it's actually a muddy, mildly lacklustre record thats sum is just a little bit less than its parts.
One niggling problem is the nebulous fusing of the musical styles that each member brings to the party. Drever and McCusker are straight-down-the-line folksters, while Woomble flits aimlessly in indie-rock-folk-rock-pop-rock purgatory. As Drever himself says: "It's ended up an unusual mix - not quite folky, not quite rock - but it's all really musical". Just what he means by "musical" is anyone's guess; even Peter Andre records have to be considered "musical" after all. However, if he substituted it for "mildly confused" he'd be far closer to the mark.
Woomble's dislocating influence is at its most destructive early on. After the solid folk-rock ballad, (and lead single) 'Silver And Gold', 'Into the Blue' inexplicably takes the album into Hootie & the Blowfish / James Blunt rip-off territory by way of a production as thick as melting tar, guitars that dazzle as brightly as a runaway school of pilot fish, and lyrics that would fail a GCSE poetry examination.
Then, thankfully, it all settles down a bit. 'All Along the Way' and 'Hope to See' are inoffensive, standard folk ballads, but then there's the more substantial and provocative 'Rest on the Rock' which has got a great rolling bass line, fantastic vocal performances and a poppy sensibility that gloriously succeeds in straddling the folk-rock divide. 'Before the Ruin', with its hesitant, stuttering verses and glossy fiddle-heavy choruses is also a choice cut.
To their credit, the guys keep the standard high on the second half too. 'The Poorest Company' has a lovely pronounced Scottish lilt which is then heavily saturated with fiddles and flutes, while the skiffling, brushed snare and airy pipes of 'Moments Last Forever' are also particularly charming. Closer 'Stuck in Time' is a great way to round off proceedings too; its lumbering driving rhythms and gently hypnotic strings consummately blend together to create a satisfyingly downtrodden sign-off.
In the final analysis, Drever, McCusker and Woomble have fashioned a mostly great album here. After the early stylistic confusion, it settles down into a quietly affecting compilation of folk standards that's seductive enough to warrant multiple listening.
However, and unfortunately, to the casual listener the majority of the songs on 'Before the Ruin' sounds too similar to linger long in the memory; they're all far too easy to ignore. It's an album that you'll probably find playing at your local Starbucks because it's quiet enough to hear ridiculous, overcomplicated orders over but loud enough to soften the volume of the milk foaming nozzle to something approaching legally acceptable standards. And that really is a shame.
As the old Shakespearean adage goes, "Nothing will come of nothing". Give 'Before the Ruin' the attention it deserves and it'll pay you back in spades.