> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

60 31Knots
82 Abe Vigoda
71 The Academy Is...
53 The Airborne Toxic Event
79 Alias
77 Theresa Andersson
76 Apollo Sunshine
47 The Automatic
79 Azeda Booth
75 Joan Baez
84 Bajofondo
56 David Banner
76 The Baseball Project
77 Beck
77 Black Affair
59 Black Ghosts
75 Black Kids
79 Blitzen Trapper
74 Bodies Of Water
70 Brazilian Girls
72 Brightblack Morning Light
66 The Broken West
50 Buckcherry
78 Lindsey Buckingham
90 The Bug
56 Caesars
78 Calexico
70 Glen Campbell
70 Brendan Canning
63 Cats In Paris
74 The Chemical Brothers
65 Cold War Kids
69 Alice Cooper
79 Rodney Crowell
63 CSS
67 Miley Cyrus
45 Dandy Warhols
64 Kimya Dawson
73 Dead Confederate
74 Death Vessel
74 Delta Spirit
79 Damien Dempsey
78 Ani DiFranco
58 DJ Khaled
66 The Donkeys
72 Dr. Dog
80 DragonForce
78 The Duhks
77 Dungen
74 Brian Eno + David Byrne
62 The Faint
67 The Fiery Furnaces
63 Ben Folds
64 iForward, Russia!
72 Friendly Fires
71 Fujiya & Miyagi
65 The Game
74 Inara George With Van Dyke Parks
74 Giant Sand
79 Girl Talk
83 Glasvegas
61 Golden Animals
64 Mike Gordon
68 Gym Class Heroes
78 GZA
65 Neil Halstead
64 Albert Hammond, Jr.
72 Juliana Hatfield
61 Hawthorne Heights
81 High Places
77 High Places
76 Zach Hill
85 The Hold Steady
83 David Holmes
80 Horse Feathers
74 Howling Hex
58 Jennifer Hudson
71 Human Highway
70 Ice Cube
66 Ida Maria
68 Jack's Mannequin
69 Jaguar Love
73 James
81 Jamey Johnson
70 Jonas Brothers
78 Damien Jurado
57 Kerli
89 B.B. King
65 Kings Of Leon
67 Ladyhawke
73 Leila
54 Levellers
74 Jenny Lewis
76 Lykke Li
82 Lindstrom
72 Little Jackie
57 LL Cool J
60 Lloyd
60 The Lord Dog Bird
85 Patty Loveless
76 John Mellencamp
71 The Melvins
70 Mercury Rev
77 Metallica
71 Metronomy
74 Mirah
75 Mogwai
64 Motorhead
66 Mugison
78 Nico Muhly
74 Murs
84 The Music Tapes
71 Nas
65 Nelly
79 Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis
50 New Kids On The Block
77 The New Year
85 Randy Newman
80 Ne-Yo
57 Nightmares On Wax
68 The Nightwatchman
78 Nine Inch Nails
61 Noah And The Whale
66 Oasis
75 Conor Oberst
78 Okkervil River
76 Old Crow Medicine Show
80 One Day As A Lion
74 Oneida
73 Joan Osborne
75 Oxford Collapse
79 Amanda Palmer
65 Parenthetical Girls
89 Aaron Parks
74 Lee "Scratch" Perry
51 Kellie Pickler
69 Pivot
58 Plain White T's
89 Plush
64 Primal Scream
50 Pussycat Dolls
76 Ra Ra Riot
71 Ratatat
62 Re-Up Gang
62 Rex The Dog
76 Roots Manuva
71 Darius Rucker
72 The Rumble Strips
81 Raphael Saadiq
57 Sam Champion
73 Scars On Broadway
70 Ron Sexsmith
68 The Shaky Hands
39 Shwayze
58 Jessica Simpson
69 Slipknot
79 Patti Smith and Kevin Shields
73 Solange
69 Son, Ambulance
65 Rick Springfield
65 Staind
47 Stereo MC's
72 Stereolab
71 The Stills
73 The Subways
83 Sugarland
70 Matthew Sweet
74 T.I.
72 Robin Thicke
77 Irma Thomas
79 Tindersticks
71 Tittsworth
90 Shugo Tokumaru
74 Emiliana Torrini
67 James Jackson Toth
72 Randy Travis
69 Tricky
89 TV On The Radio
78 The Uglysuit
92 Underoath
56 UNKLE
61 David Vandervelde
77 Chad VanGaalen
71 The Verve
76 Volcano!
68 Loudon Wainwright III
80 The Walkmen
66 Ben Weaver
84 The Week That Was
77 Paul Weller
70 Brian Wilson
77 Wire
63 XX Teens
71 Young Jeezy
55 Yung Berg

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Red Yellow & Blue
by Born Ruffians


9.1

based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Official Artist Site

The third album for the indie rock band from Canada.

LABEL:	Warp
RELEASE DATE:	04 March 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Indie

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Filter

Born Ruffians is just as rambunctious, not to mention far more likely to induce vehicular intercourse (or break your heart). [Winter 2008, p.92]

Pitchfork

Even if Red Yellow Blue overstays its welcome for one song, it still counts as one of this new year's most engaging and endearing indie-rock debuts.

Boston Globe

Red, Yellow & Blue delivers a splash of color to a vibrant indie soundscape.

Prefix Magazine

Their sound doesn’t deconstruct or reconstruct anything; it just kicks some tail.

Almost Cool

It's not a world-changer, but it's certainly one of the more fun pop albums that I've heard this year so far.

Billboard

Born Ruffians are in the business of kicking out jumpy live-band power-pop jams far more concerned with melodic zing than textural depth.

PopMatters

Throughout Red, Yellow and Blue the timbre is really spare, but Born Ruffians show that you don’t need much else to create a compelling record.

cokemachineglow

Born Ruffians are as eloquent in their summation of today’s indie rock style as any other likeminded band; in that sense Red, Yellow & Blue is as literate and aware as its title’s reference to primary colors implies. But knowingly limiting one’s scope to temporary fun predictably keeps the band from turning out something with lasting power.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

A spare intro, with guitar chords once per measure, refuses to develop into the expected jangle. Instead, as with the rest of the disc, it's consciously underproduced.

Drowned In Sound

It’s a frustrated listen, thanks to unrealised ideas and a potential that you sense has yet to fully unlocked, but there are enough good songs and great moments studded amongst the mire to make Red, Yellow and Blue both a worthwhile purchase to cherry-pick the best from as well as an indicator of good things to come from the Canadian trio.

Uncut

A confident melodic sensibility ensures such self-conscious quirkiness stays just the right side of irritating. [July 2008, p.90]

Q Magazine

With the exception of 'Hummingbird,' they indulge in far too many sixth-form mioments. [July 2008, p.98]

Spin

The Ruffinas are far better the less seriously they take themselves. [Mar 2008, p.97]

Alternative Press

The effortless pop smarts are appealing, but the Ruffians will need to vary the delivery if they're expecting a career. [Mar 2008, p.144]

All Music Guide

At times, it's hard to hear much unique about them. Then again, the boldness of Red Yellow & Blue--both the colors and the album--can't be denied, and Born Ruffians' energy does spark something special occasionally.

NOW Magazine

Over the course of an 11-track album like Red, Yellow And Blue, all the unison way-hoo-hay-oohing gets very annoying, especially when it comes bracketed by earnest yelping and long strummy passages that go nowhere in particular.

The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chad S. gave it a7:
Sometimes they sound like a muscular Vampire Weekend. The vocalist bears an atonal resemblance to the guy from Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah! That is, when the band isn't busy sounding like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. They're not terribly original, but they steal from the best. "Hedonistic Me" rocks the Camry each night I drive home from work at four in the morning.

M-m-m-matt Trocchi gave it a10:
These guys are slowly taking over the Canadian music scene. just you watch: Born Ruffians, Tokyo Police Club, they will rule the airwaves. This is an amazing disc, soooooooooo good.

James B. gave it an8:
Lets be honest, this is a very endearing album, great pop sound with fun lyrics. think Vampire Weekend but a bit more up tempo and creative

Flooded Submarine gave it a10:
Red, Yellow, and Blue, in my opinion, is one of the best records to come out of Canada in a short while and Born Ruffians are probably the most creative band in toronto right now. I think a lot of reviewers tend to unfairly compare the band to various predecessors. If you actually listen to the songs several times through, you realize how unique the structures are and the band's desire to do something different. One of the hardest things to do is take a complex rhythm or melodic structure and make it catchy but the ruffians have done that. The instruments all compliment eachother and the vocals are unique and awesome. Go Ruffians!

Eric C. gave it an8:
Though it gets kind of predictable and the constant yelps and group shouts get old, it is still a very solid and enjoyable album. They almost remind me of a cross between My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses, which isn't a bad combination. I'd recommend hearing a few of their songs before buying the whole album. Personally, while it's nothing groundbreaking, it is one of my favorite albums (so far) of 2008.

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page

Red Yellow & Blue by Born Ruffians

Red Yellow & Blue
by Born Ruffians