Ruth Ruth – “Laughing Gallery” review

Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆

It must’ve been July 2023 when I found this CD in the bargain bin of a hole-in-the-wall second-hand record store (that has since been closed down, RIP). This very amusing cover art caught my eye, and so I took the album home (having paid for it, obviously – I am by no means a shoplifter), put it on, only to find out it was love at first listen. Meant to be! And sure, back then I was vulnerable enough to instantly fall for virtually any album regardless of quality, so I am largely talking out of emotion here, but hear me out; this thing’s good. It’s stuck with me in the most sick and twisted of ways, and I cannot quite justify that; although I will try my best to.

Ruth Ruth were a really potent punk-pop ensemble based in New York City, particularly notable for their 90s output; though they never quite managed to hit the big time, their debut full length “Laughing Gallery” got plenty of airplay on college radio, and the music video produced for “Uninvited” was in rotation on MTV for a solid while. To top it all off, the album was mostly met with critical acclaim. And I mean, this was 1995 – what more could an alternative rock band wish for?

Truthfully, this album doesn’t do much to stand out in the sea of similar alt rock albums to come out of its time, however I am certain it must’ve paid the bills. By which I mean, yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is an album that is most certainly worth your time. It’s fairly consistent all throughout, with the highs being dizzyingly high, and the lows being just alright – nothing more, nothing less. The musicianship is tight, and I am fond of the attitude the lead singer displays. It’s almost… juvenile? That’s the sole descriptor that came to me, sorry. It feels like teenage angst shoved into an airtight container and then ran over by a car. Which is funny if you consider this guy was probably in his 20s, but at the same time… I get it, I really do.

But that’s what gives this album most of its appeal; the lyrics, although imperfect, perfectly capture the life and inner workings of the shut-in teenager – a sentiment that does, due to personal circumstances, deeply resonate with me. And so you see, it’s greatly relatable; “Been uptight for all my life / Been uptight, I’m real uptight / My doctor told me I’m about to crack / I’m gonna drop dead from a heart attack” – same. “I feel nothing / No pain or fear / I think I love my life” – been there, done that. “And you call me paranoid / Compared to you, I’m confident as shit” – do tell. “I’m behind you / At five o’clock each day / On our way home / But you don’t even know my name / And I keep thinking what I shouldn’t be / And now I’m playing with what I shouldn’t be” – twinning! “I couldn’t take it when she blew me off / When I couldn’t get it up / She’d tell the whole town, she’d tell the whole world / I had to shut her up […] I killed Meg the Prom Queen” – …has this guy experienced anything that I have not?

And you know, the production’s really witty at times, too. Slightly rough-around-the-edges punk-pop stylings dominate this recording, obviously, but it’s really convincing. The little adlibs the lead singer guy throws in here and there really sell the perhaps petty sentiments expressed through the lyrics, and there are some really sweet guitar fills adorning all corners of this album, but for my favorite easter egg – do you hear how the vocals are panned hard right on “Pervert”? I have to say, that choice compliments the lyrical content of the song in the greatest of ways. It’s like this guy really is behind you, on your way home at 5 o’clock each day, though you don’t even know his name. And surely, when he’ll go home he’ll think about what he shouldn’t be, and play with what he shouldn’t be. But you’d never know, because you can only faintly hear him out of your right earhole! That’s pure genius right there.

…hey dad, hey mom… I know you’re running this review through Google Translate and reading every last bit of it. Just forget all that I said above, yeah? Shooooo rahhhhh… AMNESIA!

8/10. Great album. And no, I’m not saying that merely because I’m very emotionally attached to it. It’s good. Listen to it for yourself and see.