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RufioThe Comfort Of Home Nitro/Shock Rufio took the pop-punk world by storm with their debut album 'Perhaps, I Suppose' in 2001: a solid if conventional effort. 2003's 'MCMLXXXV', however, was nothing short of a masterpiece. Rufio stepped forward from pop-punk, blending metal riffs and hard-hitting rhythms with an absolutely innate knack for melody to produce the best punk album of the year. 'The Comfort Of Home' is, again, a step forward for a band that is one of the most under-rated in the world. That said, it is a tad disappointing. It falls a little short of its predecessor, lacking that record's immediacy and its consistency. While Rufio can still pack the kind of hard-hitting chorus that elevates the likes of Never Learn to 'MCMLXXV' level, they often slap in some fairly mediocre verses that seem simply to be a method of getting to that chorus - check the average Bitter Season. But, as much as there is a feeling of hit-and-miss, every time I finish 'The Comfort Of Home' I still end up having even more respect for the band. While the songs haven't come that far, the subtle arrangements have - this is a very clever and well-thought-out punk record. Just listen to what's going on in the background of the verse to Drowning: drums distort, bass lines ebb and flow, intricate guitar riffs slide about effortlessly - and then the chorus! You can't get a better hook than that. Or wait, maybe you can - in the form of the half-time chorus of the frenetic Questions And Answers, a song that confirms that vocalist Scott Sellars is one of the best in the business. Rufio can still write a damn fine slice of punk brilliance, and closer My Escape brings together aspects of their more intricate instrumentation with a chorus that demands attention. Rufio are one of the best punk acts in the world - but they could be so much more.  |
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