1994 In Review: Soul Coughing - "Ruby Vroom"

If any album from 1994 perfectly encapsulates the major labels' "anything goes" attitude of the time, it's probably Ruby Vroom. Released during a tense time during which the industry was trying to figure out what alternative was now that Kurt Cobain was gone, Soul Coughing's debut album was a thing of weird beauty; sample-heavy jazz rock laced with beat poetry and off-kilter hip hop references, it wasn't the easiest thing to categorize. The rhythm section of Sebastien Steinberg and Yuval Gabay kept it tight and funky, while Mark Degli Antoni brought a myriad of strange sounds and samples to the mix. Throw in Mike Doughty's freak folk poetry and you had one of the oddest bands to receive the endorsement of a major label in the '90s.

Yet, as weird and potentially off-putting as it all was on paper, Ruby Vroom brought the goods; strange yet strangely inviting, it boasted a bevvy of formidable tunes. The lazy jazz-funk drone of Screenwriter's Blues, the easy-going, lightly thumping True Dreams Of Wichita, the old-timey, hip hop flavoured Down To This, the jangling and dance-able Blue Eyed Devil, all top notch songs barely concealed under a layer of curious noise.

Even the weirdest stuff had charm; witness the maniacal Casiotone Nation, the abrasive Bus To Beelzebub, or the twitchy, reggae-tinged Uh, Zoom Zip. Even at its most difficult, it's easy to hear something pleasant, whether it's the rhythm itself or the colourful noise in the background.

Time has rendered Soul Coughing all but forgotten, and the band itself went through a messy, ugly break-up that all but assures we won't ever have them back. Still, they deserve a legacy as one of the '90s most unique, and uniquely accessible, bands. There's no better example of their one-of-a-kind chemistry than Ruby Vroom.

September 27, 1994 • Slash/Warner Bros.

Highlights True Dreams of Wichita • Screenwriters Blues • Down To This