Gothic Theatre
Reubens Accomplice
Strip mall chintz. Cinder block
suburbs. Depressing Dairy Queens.
Hesher metal. For lifelong desert
dwellers and North Phoenix, Arizona
natives Jeff Bufano and Chris Corak
this deadening litany could’ve
doubled as a description of their
adolescent lives. And so,
Reubens Accomplice was born.
The band’s peculiar journey- a
labyrinthine saga that’s taken them
from high school talent shows to
amphitheatre stages- has yielded a
spectacular bounty in the sun struck
pop perfection of their latest album,
the Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World)
produced THE BULL, THE BALLOON, AND
THE FAMILY.
The much-beloved (though admittedly
idiosyncratic) Reubens Accomplice has
made a name for itself in recent years
touring with the likes of Jimmy Eat
World, The Promise Ring, The
Weakerthans and No Knife, and building
a dedicated fan base throughout the U.S.
The groups 2001 full-length debut I
Blame The Scenery (released on Los
Angeles’ Better Looking Records) helped
establish them as critical and cult
faves.
In Spring 2002, after an amicable split
with their old rhythm section, the
newly reconstituted and self-assured
Reubens Accomplice (with rhythm section
John O’Reilly Jr. and Ryan Kennedy)
entered the studio with Jim Adkins to
record their much-anticipated sophomore
album, THE BULL, THE BALLOON, AND THE
FAMILY.
The disc is an aptly titled affair as
the band enlists several members of its
extended “family” to aid in this
impressive 13-song effort. Guests
include producer Adkins, Howe Gelb (Giant
Sand, Band of Blacky Ranchette), David
Bazan (Pedro the Lion), Jon Rauhouse
(Neko Case, Old 97s), as well as a
talented crew of West Coast luminaries
(Matt Maher, Ryan Kennedy, John O’Reilly
Jr.).
Listen to the corrosive chording of
lovelorn opener “Big Apple, Small Heart,”
the Herculean pop of “All Chorus”, the
besotted beauty of "Tonight We Drink
(featuring Gelb’s creaking country vocal)
the sad, sweet electro confection “Act On
(Feeling Alone)” the escapist dirge “Leave
the City”, and the elegiac refrain of
What You Want Gets You"— these are but
a few of the many highlights from an
engaging and expansive album. (Hint,
hint: also keep an ear out for the CD
closing “secret” track).
Mixed by Chris Fudurich (Nada Surf, Matthew
Sweet), THE BULL, THE BALLOON, AND THE
FAMILY combines the plangent guitars and
yearning, almost genetic harmonies of Bufano
and Corak. A melange of urgent rock and
bouncy pop, fantastically infectious anthems
and halting balladry, Reubens’ sound — a
cockeyed collision of oddball influences —
is a dreamy and distinctive din that’ll
happily be stuck in your head long after
the music has finished playing.
Reubens Accomplice is the flagship act on
the newly launched Western Tread Recordings.
The imprint is an Arizona-based venture
between Jim Adkins and Phoenix music
impresario Charles Levy. Western Tread has
already released titles from Jimmy Eat World
(a vinyl reissue of 2001’s multi-platinum
self-titled album) and the debut EP from
Elektra recording artists The Format.
