Julia Ruzicka, bassist and keyboardist with cult racketmongers Future of the Left and formerly of Million Dead – the band which gave us Frank Turner. – has released an album under the guide of This Becomes Us. It’s pitched as her debut, but the absence of the word ‘solo’ from the press blurbage is noteworthy. This is no solo album. It’s an album of collaborations: Ian Wilson of Art Brut contributes guitar parts and Future of the Left bandmate Jack Egglestone features on drums, and then there’s a host of vocalists.
What makes this release unusual is that instead of the procession of guest singers lending little beyond their names and vocal chords to each song, it sounds very much as though each track has been written around the guest, in the style of their own band. The end result is an album that has the feel of a compilation or covers album, featuring the original singer on each track. And there isn’t a single weak track to be found.
The album features a slew of quite remarkable guest vocalists, but in truth, that’s only half the story (although it’s likely to be the half of the story which will shift units, virtual or physical, encourage paid streams and maybe even garner some airplay – if there’ any justice).
‘Undervalue Love’, which features Guy McNight (The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster) on vocals is built around a serpentine bassline and nagging guitars, and comes on like a hybrid of XTC and Queens of the Stone Age. It’s great.
‘Big Hitter’ sounds more like an outtake from a collaboration between Big Black and The Jesus Lizard. That Billy Mason Wood of Blacklisters covers the vocal duties explains this in part, but the sinewy, treble-orientated guitars which write atop the thunderous, jolting bass and cymbal-heavy drums are equally integral to the sound. What’s up next? It’s grungy, poppy and has a 90s US alternative feel. In fact, it sounds a lot like The Pixies. Bugger me, it’ Black Francis doing his shouty / yelpy thing. Funny thing is, it’s better than anything on the last two Pixies albums.
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‘At the End of Everyday’ features Kristian Bell of The Wyches and is a dark, grunge-orientated dirge: quite a contrast from the angular riot grrl blast of ‘Simply Too’, which sees Rosie Arnold of Fever Fever on vocal duties.
Not all of the guests are exactly household names – should I be embarrassed to admit to having never heard of Miraculous Mule? On hearing the Michael Sheedy fronted ‘A Gift Nobody Wants’ and being reminded of the classic mid-90s sound of Am Rep and Touch and Go, I’m inclined to check them out, and the fact is there isn’t a bad track on the album. Not only does Ruzicka demonstrate outstanding musical versatility and consistency, but impeccable taste, and the Fall-like instrumental closer, ‘This Horse Needs Peace’ further showcases Ruzicka’s outstanding, and perhaps unexpected, flexibility. In short: recommended.
This Becomes Us On Bandcamp
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