Tugboat Captain’s album is not a Rut you’ll want to get out of any time soon

 By Henry Lipput

Although the songs on Tugboat Captain’s brilliant album Rut (vinyl: Double A-Side Records/digital: Bandcamp) were written before the pandemic, the themes of many of the songs (even the titles themselves), like “If Tomorrow’s Like Today,” “Day To Day,” and, especially, the single “No Plans (For This Year),” fit together to make up something of a concept album about what we‘re going through right now.  But, let me be clear, it’s anything but a downer; it’s a joyful listen full of great tunes and arrangements .

How strict are the rules for what makes a concept album? Like John Lennon once said about Sgt. Pepper: “It’s a concept album because we said it was.” And even though I'm no John Lennon (obviously) I’m saying Rut is a concept album. 

Rut was  recorded at the Abbey Road Institute (located in and associated with Abbey Road Studios) where producer David Dargahi was trained and, as a result, he obviously knows how to make a record come alive. Dargahi and the band, a four-piece from London along with some of their musician friends, have created a Technicolor song cycle that thrills in its inventiveness and the use of sounds and dynamics.

A perfect example is the amazing “If Tomorrow‘s Like Today.” It begins with a bouncy “Penny Lane”-like piano riff, breaks for an absolutely sublime piano interlude, and stops for a loud and crunchy guitar solo.  The result is its very own Abbey Road musical medley.

“No Plans (For This Year)” is an invitation to romance but things being what they are it’s also a sign of our times when hooking up is a bad idea and everybody else is locking down.  Although more RAM than Pepper, the song follows a similar template to “If Tomorrow’s Like Today” (especially the piano riff) but adds  a prominent horn section as well as a wonderful sting arrangement. “Everything About You” will remind you of chatting up someone at a club before, during, or after a band’s set and with any luck we’ll be doing that again some time soon.

“Day To Day” is another song that has down-at-the-heels lyrics but is just a delight to listen to. It opens with a burst of horns as it sums up the life of a musician who may be skint because of his inability to tour (or it may just be the usual musicians lot): “Now I’m in the supermarket/buying food that’s clearly passed it” and there’s also this bit of information “Each day’s a success/If I can pay for my own smokes.”

“Check Ur Health,” opens the album with a sideshow vibe and a first-person lyric. It’s something we all seem to be doing on a regular basis. Is that a headache? Are those body aches? Check ur health.  The song works in the same way as  the title songs from Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour (a more recent example is “Trip & Ellie’s Music Factory” from this year’s excellent release from Lisa Mychols and SUPER 8).  For some reason I can’t really explain, “Check Ur Health” makes me think of “All Of My Friends Were There” from The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society.

Next time: It runs in the family