Having lived the majority of my "teen years" in South Florida, I'm well aware that a band like Remember The Ocean (whose members spend the majority of their time in the southern part of the sunshine state) plays music far from the normal club/bar/coffeehouse fare that the area is accustomed to hearing. The region is mostly inhabited by people who either want to dance their asses off or exhibit freaky behavior via a Marilyn Manson show (circa the early years), and my years there were largely spent avoiding the music scene, or lack thereof. Every so often, you'd stumble upon a high school punk band attempting their first (and often last) show at some dingy hole-in-the-wall decorated with flamingos. This was a high point. Perhaps things have changed since high-school (never mind how long ago that was), for had Remember The Ocean been around back then, I might have spent more time seeking out the music I really enjoyed rather than shaking my ass at The Edge.

A sort of Cowboy Junkies/10,000 Maniacs hybrid, Ruth is filled with simple music. Nothing is overdone or inappropriately emphasized. The effect is nearly nostalgic -- reminiscent of the sort of music I, and probably many of the rest of you, discovered in college (again, years are not important here).

Lyrically, this is the sort of fare you can wallow in. On "Every Empty", Kristin Larkin sings, in a very Natalie Merchant-esque voice, "Now the sun will set without you once again / I'll live to doubt you". The rest of the songs take similar stances; they're mostly about people who've been done wrong, people who can no longer trust -- it all sounds familiar, but it's no less poignant than it was the first time you heard similar words. The exquisite arrangements and the soulful delivery probably help here.

If you're one of those who wishes Merchant had never left her Maniacs, and have been searching in vain for something to fill the void that was left after her departure -- and, like me, haven't swallowed her solo career too easily, Remember The Ocean could very well be your new favorite band. And if you happen to live in South Florida and are looking for a departure from the local cultural standard, perhaps you could apply for a roadie position.