Tub Ring - A Choice of Catastrophes (2017)

My introduction to the band known as Tub Ring was back in 2008 when they opened for Mindless Self Indulgence. I hadn't listened to anything from them and was more excited that they were touring with the guitarist of Creature Feature. I was absolutely taken aback when they took the stage and performed their brand of chaotic everything and the kitchen sink music. Since then I've been following them vigorously. Unfortunately they all but disappeared after their 2010 album The Secret Handshake. However following a successful crowd funding campaign to make a best of vinyl the band is back with a brand new full length album called A Choice Of Catastrophes. So does this album deliver after seven years? Or is it just a catastrophe?

It really feels like no time has passed at all. A Choice Of Catastrophes is like visiting your old family home and seeing that everything you grew up with is still there, sure there's a fresh coat of paint and things have been rearranged but everything under the surface is still there. As Rob Kleiner proudly declares in the opening track Time For Me "God Damn it's good to be back".

it's hard to describe Tub Ring's sound. They basically throw everything at you and do it with style. There's elements of free form jazz like with the song Without You featuring tapping drums, flowing vocal delivery, and horns. Songs like Proper Funds have a show tunes feel and a spooky vibe complete with a theremin, xylophones, and a synth organ. Tub Ring even dip into a bit of their own past with the songs Built To Last and The Doubters which blend mathcore/post hardcore with horns and pop.That's really the best thing that Tub Ring does, take wildly varying sounds and blending them into something cohesive. It's amazing that some of these choices work but they really do.

With A Choice Of Catastrophe Tub Ring have crafted an album fans and newcomers alike can be happy with. It really shows off the range that the group has and if you like really off the wall, wild, and chaotic music that somehow manages to be poppy and catchy at the same time this album is for you. It's great to see that after all this time that band hasn't lost any of their luster and instead is better than ever. Hopefully we won't have to wait almost a decade for the next album because A Choice Of Catastrophes has left me wanting more Tub Ring. ~ by ‎Metalloud

Track List:
01 – Time for Me
02 – Reevaluation
03 – Without You
04 – Not Before Our Time
05 – Proper Funds
06 – Impress Your Creators
07 – Secular Haze
08 – Built to Last
09 – Trying Again
10 – Prisencolinensinainciusol
11 – The Doubters
12 – Remember the Time
13 – Leaving

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