Elzie Sexton and Caleb Means have expanded
New Ruins from a two-man studio project to something like a functioning band on their second album, 2009's
We Make Our Own Bad Luck, with the addition of percussionist Roy Ewing and multi-instrumentalist Paul Chastain. But if
New Ruins' sophomore effort is constructed on a grander scale than their debut,
We Make Our Own Bad Luck is still dominated by the same spectral atmosphere and lo-fi approach that made
The Sound They Make such a pleasant surprise. Chastain's pedal steel guitar at once reinforces
New Ruins' weathered country influences while adding the same weary resonance that
Bruce Kaphan brought to
American Music Club's best work, and while drum machines still keep the beat on many tracks, Ewing's strong but carefully punctuated drumming brings a more human (and appropriately troubling) pulse to this music.
We Make Our Own Bad Luck falls together with a greater unity than the band's first album, while the individual songs manage to work as individual pieces as well as a coherent whole; "Symptoms," "Other Ones," and "Held Up by Sand" balance a passionate intensity and an air of dashed hopes with a skill that's genuinely moving. And if this music manages to be even darker than
The Sound They Make,
We Make Our Own Bad Luck never shies away from the human consequences behind these stories, and Sexton and Means aren't afraid to show compassion when it's deserved.
New Ruins sure won't get your party started, but if you don't mind music that isn't afraid to lead you to a long, hard look into the abyss,
We Make Our Own Bad Luck will amply reward your time and effort. ~ Mark Deming