Album reviews: The 88, the Ruse

Kevin Bronson on November 5th, 2008

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The 88, “Not Only ”¦ But Also” (Island) — The third album (released last week) by these power-pop purveyors benefits from the studio help of Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds (Eric Clapton, Fall Out Boy, Madonna) and Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Paul Westerberg). Suddenly, the 88 sounds darned near arena-ready, rather than the scrappy Kinksians who help you wash down beers in local clubs. What keeps “Not Only” interesting are the arrangements, the little sonic surprises that transcend the mere likability of Keith Slettedahl’s vocals and Adam Merrin’s work on the keyboards. It’s catchy enough to be go-to material for music supervisors, but still filling enough to hold your attention for 43 minutes. Recommended for fans of Brendan Benson (especially his collaborations with Jason Falkner).

||| Live: The 88 plays Nov. 13 at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa and opens for the B-52’s on Nov. 16 at downtown’s new Club Nokia.

The Ruse, “Midnight in the City” (self-released) — This L.A. quartet has made three albums, placed more than a dozen songs in TV shows and earned an MTV Video Music Award nomination. However, you’d be hard-pressed to pick their music out of a lineup of Anglophile-leaning, anthemic-rock, mainstream-radio wannabes. Crisply produced and lyrically engaging, “Midnight” (released Tuesday) edges away from the overt U2 reverence of the unsigned foursome’s first two albums, but sticks to the familiar shoegazey, big-chorus formula of their forebears. Is that formula simply played out? Maybe, although Low Vs Diamond’s superb 2008 album falls in this realm. The Ruse can light up your ears for 4 minutes with songs like “Collide” [listen here], but I’m not sure there’s much of an afterglow.