Since her relocation to Chicago a few years ago, Rebecca Gates has popped up everywhere. Well, not everywhere -- it's not as if I've run into her at the supermarket or while shoe-shopping -- but she's a fixture at shows and backstage gatherings. I am, therefore, slightly embarrassed to admit that I wasn't certain what to expect from Ruby Series; while I've seen Gates sit in with half a dozen bands, I can't remember the last time I saw her perform her own material. I certainly didn't expect it to be as good as it is.
Ruby Series' biggest and best surprise is a brilliant pop song called "Lure and Cast". Its sound won't be entirely unexpected if you've read the album's credits, which reveal the participation of Tortoise's John McEntire, as well as Red Red Meat's Brian Deck, the Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/Quartet's Noel Kupersmith and organist/vibraphone player Mikael Jorgensen. On "Lure and Cast", McEntire contributes "electronics", while Jorgensen chips in with crystal-clear vibraphone accents and droning organ. Gates, meanwhile, is at her absolute best here; breathy and melodic, she sounds like a pop singer from the seventies, and comes as close to girlish sexiness as she's been since the Spinanes' debut, Manos. Her delivery, while typically understated, is also powerful and compelling; when she hooks you, you won't get loose. While it sounds like McEntire is digging into his standard bag of Tortoise/Stereolab tricks, the bossa-nova tempo works surprisingly well here, and Jorgensen's vibes help to sustain the melodic through-line. If this track found its way onto commercial radio, Gates would have a hit on her hands.
"Lure and Cast" isn't the EP's only gem. The disc's opener, "The Seldom Scene", is a languorous Sunday morning waltz. It plays like a more mature, less excessive Sarah McLachlan song, buoyed once again by Jorgensen's vibes. Further in, "In a Star Orbit" adds Kupersmith to the mix; he brings bass, mellotron and vibraphone to the picture, while McEntire provides more of his electronics. In this case, they include an unusually assertive drum loop, over which a multi-tracked Gates croons sweetly. With some judicious remix work, this track could be turned into a downtempo club hit. "Doos", a gentle tune that mixes Gates' guitar, marimba and keyboards with Brian Deck's multi-faceted percussion, evolves gradually into a sweetly-sung, diversely-textured anthem.
The disc's remaining three songs -- "Move", "The Colonel's Circle" and "I Received a Levitation" -- will be best received by listeners who enjoyed the Spinanes' Strand and Arches and Allies. These tracks are less detailed and more insular, though "I Received a Levitation" ends the disc effectively with Gates' melodic, multi-tracked vocals playing against Kupersmith's mannered bass.
It seems obvious from Ruby Series' more upbeat moments that Gates is hiding her light under a bushel of introspective songwriting. While she's an acknowledged master of all things slow and secretive, I'd love to hear her return to more upbeat, friendly material, even if it meant sacrificing a measure of lyrical profundity. I've seen Gates let her metaphorical hair down on others' pop songs; Ruby Series makes me want to see her work her own crowds that aggressively.
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