Reuben And The Dark - Funeral Sky

New York – Reuben And The Dark is a troop of four Canadian-bred multi-instrumentalists lead by Rueben Bollock. The band released their first album, Funeral Sky, in late May, and the LP is such a successful introduction that it’s hard to believe it surfaced as a debut. Brimming with boisterous confidence, the album is a downright triumph.

Reuben And The Dark’s work rises from the depths of folk but is rooted in heavy-handed percussive rifts. Lyrically and thematically, the album presents an emotional tapestry rich in rumination. Steeped in layers of melody, the album will seep into your core.

I’d call this music devastatingly pretty, in a way that distinctly mirrors Mumford and Sons’ work. It veers into dark and broody revelations, while simultaneously soothing the audience’s ethos with swirling harmonies and grand instrumentals. This sound is bold and brave and, despite the group’s obvious influences, their work is inimitable.

The band officially formed after the release of bandleader Reuben Bullock’s first solo album, Pulling Up Arrows, in 2010. At that time, Bollock was already performing with his brother, Distance (percussion, cello). Man Made Lakes came in 2012, after multi-instrumentalist Shea Alain and bassist Scott Munro joined the band of brothers. This album is considered Reuben’s second solo LP. A tour across Western Canada followed the album’s release, and in May 2014 the group released their proper debut into the wild via Arts & Crafts.

Christopher Lloyd produced the album (Florence and The Machine), in collaboration with Stephen Kozmeniuk (Madonna, Nicki Minaj, The Game feat. Kanye West). For the album’s mixing, the group vetted Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele). One might expect great things from a group backed by a taskforce of this caliber, and those expectations would not be misplaced.

The album spans 11 solidly built tracks. From the very first chord straight through the album’s completion, Reuben And The Dark seduces listeners with unwavering pomp. The opening track, “Bow and Arrow,” evokes mountain passes and astral night skyscapes. It is wholly romantic but hosts a tangible amount of regret. This is a song to soundtrack a night hike, endured with a companion of questionably good intent.

In fact, expansive natural landscapes inform much of Funeral Sky. “A Memory’s Lament” and “The River” betray this theme profoundly. The beauty of the wild mingles with the nostalgic air of a heavy heart, and the product is an emboldened portrait of the human condition. “Marionette,” another standout track, is a blues-based balled that returns the album to its earthy and lush milieu. Arguably, the album’s apex is the album’s single, “Rolling Stone.” The song unfolds like an epic novel, with a classic and slow thumping page-turning temperament.

The story behind the group’s video for “Rolling Stone” is a saga in itself. It was filmed on Canadian soil and directed by Charles Officer, on a night where temperatures had plummeted below 30 degrees. The music video invariably recalls the epic neo-noir film “Drive,” with its swirling, irresistible and rogue-tinged sexuality. The video is a picture perfect portrait of love lost, but the kind of love worth experiencing in spite of the ruin left in its wake. The video’s imagery mirrors its precarious content masterfully.

“The crew was amazing to work with and Charles Officer did a great job directing,” Bullock told WSJ’s cultural arm Speakeasy, “They were hanging off the back of a trailer rig that was towing the car on the highway, snow blowing sideways and bare hands on the cameras. It was quite a thing to watch.”

Watch the video for yourselves, and give Funeral Sky the time that this work is due. Reuben And The Dark is currently touring, and our NY-based readership would be wise to note their show on the 12th of June at Mercury Lounge. The group will continue tooling around the nation for the duration of June, landing at Winnipeg Folk Festival in July. If you’re in it for the long game, the band is also scheduled to appear at Austin City Limits come October. In the meantime, putFuneral Sky on before bed. It will inform and color your dreams in ways you weren’t aware were vital until after you wake.

Photo By Lucia Graca

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Liz Rowley

Born in Mexico and raised in Toronto, Jerusalem and Chicago by a pair of journalists, Liz comes to BestNewBands.com with an inherited love of writing. After discovering a niche for herself in music journalism and radio while at Bates College in Maine, she always keeps a running playlist of new music to soundtrack her place in the world. Liz is passionate about helping dedicated, talented musicians gain the exposure they deserve. A recent transplant to Brooklyn from Hawaii, she is plagued by an incurable case of wanderlust and cursed with an affinity for old maps and old things like typewriters and vintage books. She adores photography and running and is very good with plants. Having come of age in Chicago, Wilco speaks to her soul. If she could be anything, she would be a cat in a Murakami novel.