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Sometimes when I listen to a band, I make a judgement: Are they Beatles or Stones fans? The Ruen Brothers<\/a> answer that question in their bio, stating that, like I suspected, they prefer the Rolling Stones. Generally, a band that likes the Beatles is a little more delicate, concerned with love and peace. A band influenced by the Rolling Stones is usually more brash, aggressive, and more likely to be at least indirectly influenced by the American blues musicians that the Rolling Stones idolized.<\/span><\/p>\n

That seems to be the case with the Ruen Brothers, who are Henry and Rupert Stansall from the UK. Their first two songs, the bluesy \u201cAces<\/a>\u201d and \u201cWalk Like a Man<\/a>,\u201d earned them the attention of\u00a0 <\/span>BBC Radio 1 host Zane Lowe and led to the brothers landing a record deal with Rick Rubin\u2019s American Recordings and Republic Records. Rubin then produced their four-song EP Point Dume,<\/i> enlisting Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Matt Sweeney (Chavez), and Ian McLagen (Faces) to contribute drums, guitar and keyboards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though their sound strays farther away from the blues and into pop on Point Dume<\/i>, you can still hear their influences – which also include Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker – in each song. Henry has a deep, powerful voice that comes from a place of true sincerity, though a little muffled and rough, as if he\u2019s singing between drags on a cigarette. \u201cMotor City\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>is a vintage shuffle that breaks into a pop chorus while exploring familiar topics like\u00a0not being able to catch a flight home and name-dropping highways<\/a>. \u201cVendetta\u201d has a bongo heavy intro reminiscent of the British blues group\u00a0The Yardbirds<\/a>, and builds into a dramatic tale about the end of a love affair. <\/span><\/p>\n

For such a short release, Point Dume <\/i> is surprisingly solid. The EP\u2019s best moments appear on the opener \u201cSummer Sun,\u201d a love song for summer with chilling background vocals. Henry\u2019s acoustic guitar and his brother\u2019s lead create a solid rhythmic background for the dreamy lyrics. True to the song, which is about waiting for the warmth of summer to return, there is little action in its video: Henry, Rupert, and an unknown woman are stuck inside their separate homes by bad weather, as glimpses of the outside world are shown on TV screens. Check it out below:<\/span><\/p>\n