There are three avenues with which one could think about Say It. The first are the vocals, which often come off as constricted, high-pitched and unappealing, most evident on “What You Say.” This is the simplest criticism of the album. Musically, the instruments seem disconnected—most often, for some reason, the bass. When they do form any cohesion, it lacks any particular hook for the listener. It just is. Lyrically the songs are curious; most of the album sports songs that are four and a half minutes long, while the lyrics are only a few dozen words each. A good writer knows to pick their words carefully—Born Ruffians do so here; it is just simply a shame that they had not chosen better ones. The best thing one could say of this album is that at times it sounds like Vampire Weekend. At the same time, probably the worst thing you could say about this album is that it sounds too much like Vampire Weekend. The sound of Vampire Weekend demonstrates a keen ear for genre and how it can be properly integrated into pop music—skills which are not shown by Born Ruffians on Say It. (Paper Bag Records) Devin King