Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow and Blue
Manages to retain an edge of musical ingenuity
Yet another export from Toronto arrives, scruffy and optimistic, upon our nation's shores. Fresh off the boat, Born Ruffians head straight for London where their sound sits comfortably alongside that of fellow skinny indie types The Kooks and Razorlight, having already appeared on E4 fashion soap Skins - our very own Beverly Hills 90210. Red, Yellow and Blue is a well-balanced album of jangling, upbeat pop, albeit without the massive hit singles of their aforementioned contemporaries. Making numerous predictable nods in the direction of Modest Mouse, it mevertheless manages to retain an edge of musical ingenuity with some inventive twists of musicianship. Barnacle Goose is a good point of entry for any prospective buyer and I Need a Life sees the Ruffians upping the NME-friendly pop quotient. However, it remains to be seen whether this less than pioneering effort has any more longevity than any other banal trend the London fashion-scene currently endorses. [Chris Cusack]