When The Ruby Suns' Sea Lion was released in 2008, it was striking to see how appropriate the band name truly was. Sea Lion contained cheerful and carefree pop accompanied by jungle-esque percussion and the occasional group sing-along vocals. The result was flat-out fun, best enjoyed with friends on the beach. But with Fight Softly, The Ruby Suns do their best to destroy that old image. Ryan McPhun, the band's principal songwriter, has created music that sounds more like Animal Collective than traditional Ruby Suns. Obviously there's nothing wrong with being influenced by Animal Collective; their ability to marry catchy songwriting and experimental musicianship is certainly noteworthy and something for bands to aspire to. However, not all bands can so effectively perform that task. Animal Collective's influence on the musical climate post-Merriweather Post Pavilion has been painfully obvious over the past year, and their influence has resulted in many not-so-stellar albums from once-promising bands trying to do what Animal Collective pulled off with MPP. Unfortunately, we can now add The Ruby Suns to this list of imitators.

The main problem with Fight Softly is that it’s too busy. So much is going on in the songs that it's often overwhelming. The first six songs of the album sound like one huge transition track rather than a collection of songs. It's great when albums achieve track-to-track cohesion, but this cohesion should not come at the expense of the quality of individual songs. Each song unceremoniously drifts in and out of the listener's consciousness without leaving much of a lasting impression. These dull transitions occur within songs too: “Cranberry” features a lengthy intro leading to the meat of the song, but the transition negates any build-up the intro may have lent to the track. As a result of these transitions, the album, like this song in particular, tends to feel like a thrown-together mess.

Things improve a bit near the end of Fight Softly. “Dusty Fruit” is a straightforward track with rapid-fire percussion and the album's best vocal performance. Also, “Two Humans” serves as a much-needed reprieve from the previously mentioned busyness present in the vast majority of the album. Finally, “How Kids Fail” is the closest the album comes to having a stand-out song, which can be credited to the abrasive bursts of synths and the strong melodies. There's one point near the end of the song where the music stops (as though the song has ended) but suddenly that synth burst roars again, unexpectedly. After a few listens to the album, that's what sticks out the most: a slightly harsh, noisy synth buzz. One would assume that's not what the band hoped would be the most memorable part of Fight Softly.

It is clear that musicians as well as music fans are susceptible to trends and popularity. With all the praise Merriweather Post Pavilion received last January, it's no surprise that the musical climate has changed accordingly. As a result, potential trailblazers like The Ruby Suns may end up following the paths of other, more renowned artists. Hopefully, in the future they'll be courageous enough to once again follow their own path.

Track List:
1. Sun Lake Rinsed
2. Mingus and Pike
3. Cinco
4. Cranberry
5. Closet Astrologer
6. Haunted House
7. How Kids Fail
8. Dusty Fruit
9. Two Humans
10. Olympics on Pot