The Rubens The Rubens

Veteran producer David Kahne, who’s worked with everyone from The Bangles and Matthew Sweet to Tony Bennett and Paul McCartney, helps create a dramatic snap for Australian pop-rockers The Rubens on their self-titled debut album. Kahne’s efforts return a band that’s tight, bright, adventurous, and filled with promise. The basic melodies behind “The Best We Got” and “My Gun” are immediate, but it’s the maelstrom of stereo sounds that transform the songs into lush, psychedelic, baroque pop that recalls XTC and Elvis Costello at his most extreme. Strip back the magical playground of sound, and lead singer Sam Margin moves to the foreground with an excellent ballad read of “Never Be the Same” and a playful, near-Morrissey croon on “Elvis.” There’s even a touch of The Steve Miller Band in “I’ll Surely Die.” The Rubens are a band of obvious potential, and here they've picked the right producer to take them from the stage to a studio.