Spookey Ruben — Mechanical Royalty

Spookey Ruben releases records with such infrequency that whatever critical praise is lauded on each new disc is mostly forgotten by the time the next one comes along. Of course, this is the way it's been since the beginning and he's still here, so Mr. Ruben must be doing something right.

Ruben continues absorbing genres and spitting out his own twisted takes on Mechanical Royalty. The back cover picture of someone puking rainbows into a toilet seems an apt visual representation of Ruben's oeuvre.

Opener "Cat & Mouse," which rocks like an indie take on Van Halen's "Jump" or Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger," is a prime example of this aesthetic. Other standouts include the "Jesse's Girl"-esque "U Don't Know What You're Missing" and the title track that, with seven "movements," belies the brevity of the rest of the disc, and clocks in at a whopping 15 minutes.

Mechanical Royalty once again solidifies Spookey Ruben's place as one of the country's most fun and innovative cult acts. Hopefully, he can turn around some new material quickly enough to capitalize on his latest achievement.