Glistening Pleasure: Rurik - Re-Education

Label: Athircreative
Rating: 3 Guns

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Written By: Hilary Hughes

If you were one of those checker-clad kids in the skank pit punching and flailing at ska and punk shows throughout your teenage years, Rurik’s Re-Education is an informal tribute to the sounds that kept you dancing and screaming along with the likes of Reel Big Fish and Rancid.

If you’re allergic to drum beats pounding out at 120 miles per hour and the brass-heavy sounds of reggae rock fusion, then Re-Education is deeefinitely not for you. Complete with a horns section, a fierce master on the drum kit, and even a Nintendo Gameboy and an Atari plugged in for additional sound effects, Rurik breaks the molds set before them for post-punk exploration.

Rurik’s new disc is something that sounds like the melodic angst of a slew of teenagers shooting straight adrenaline. The pace of the majority of the songs, specifically on tracks like “Paths of Greatest Resistance” and “Jose Luis”, is a little too frenzied for my tastes, but it’s tracks like “Going Through the Moshuns” and “Make Me Like You” showcase the drum and distortion heavy talents of the inventive group.

Giving Re-Education a listen before bed is probably not the best idea; popping it into your stereo or pulling it up on your iPod on your way out for the night is a surefire way to inject a little electricity into whatever you’re up to.