Rockbites: Vocalist Ali Edwards re-launches Ruby Vileos

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October 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

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Vocalist Ali Edwards re-launches Ruby Vileos
26 October 2001

Cincinnati, Ohio vocalist and songwriter Ali Edwards, who might remind you in moments of Björk or maybe Alanis Morisette, first jammed with Bill Alletzhauser (guitars) and Dave Morrison (drums, synths) of post-country band Ass Ponys back in 1998. They christened the collaboration Ruby Vileos after Edward’s great grandmother, and proceeded to make some rather interesting noise.
    On 1 October Ruby Vileos re-released their debut album, The King Is Dead, on Cincinnati indie Whee Music. They’d recorded the set at John Curley’s Ultrasuede Studios, he the bassist with Afghan Whigs, with producer C. Laszlo Koltay, who’s worked with Indiana-to-Ohio psychedelic act Stop The Car.
    The King Is Dead’s eight tracks plus one unlisted instrumental bonus are hard to peg—one minute high energy guitar-driven radio rock, the next chilled out folk, the next subtle experimental pop. Moreover, the blending of forthright accessibility with uncompromising musicality is a little bemusing, demanding attention and repeated listening to get past the surface. It’s well worth the effort.
    Lyrically, this set is rather cerebral, with titles including Face Is Not Your Face, Un-Making Friends, and Perfidious. But the music is heartfelt and infused with a searing emotional intensity.
    I have to admit I find The King Is Dead a little chaotic, with a super-abundance of creative energy in need of a bit more coherence. Ruby Vileos’s next album could be a stunner, with Rockbites, for one, eagerly looking forward to it.
    Since the recording of The King Is Dead, Dave Morrison has left the band and two new members have joined: drummer Todd Drake and bassist Victor Strunk. You can pick up the debut LP directly from the Whee Website.
    Three bites out of five.

Rockbites ratings  5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying.

| Ruby Vileos | | RV on Whee Music | | top of page |

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