Rustic Overtones: Long Division

 

Man, this album just kicks ass.  Way back in 1997, when I was working as a DJ at my college radio station (WNHU, University of New Haven radio), there was a bin in the lobby of the station.  This bin was for all the CDs that the Program Director had listened to but vetoed as something he wanted played on the air.  Once in the bin, the discs were fodder for anyone (presumably who worked at the station, of course) who wanted them.  My buddies and I would grab handfuls of them and take them back to the dorm to listen to.  Sometimes we'd take the crappy ones and fling the discs at the back of our dorm room doors to smash them, but that's beside the point.  Every once and a while I'd discover one that actually wasn't that bad.  This is one of those discs.

Rustic Overtones are from Portland, Maine and they've been around forever.  Seriously.  These guys have toured, gotten signed, broken up, reformed, broken up some more, and then put out more music.  For an actual accurate account of the band's history, check out TheRusticOvertones.com

Anyway, Long Division is the band's second album.  When I first popped this disc in, I couldn't quite get a handle on what it was.  Ska?  No...  Funk?  No...  I settled on Rock w/ Horns.  They weave all the elements of a good 90's band together: funk, R&B, ska, metal, rock, and pop.  Once I got past the drum production (a bit reverby and boomy for my tastes), this album kicks your face in.

About A Kid

What a great track.  They blast right off from track one and are killing it.  Dave Gutter has a love it or hate it voice, but I think it's effective.  I really love the keyboards by Spencer Albee.  Just killer.

Simple Song

Another great song.  A bit rock, a bit alternative, and really well written.  I walk away singing this all the time.

Spunk Drive 185

Here's a bit more funk/R&B put through that white/jam band/Maine filter.  Still kicking ass, though.

Feel

They just keep coming with these great horn lines.  This one starts out with a great drum beat, and the horn sets it up to revisit the 70's, but then all the sudden it becomes a pop song.  What?  Then the chorus rolls around and we're back in funk territory.

Outlaw Biker

Ok, for real: what the hell with the song titles?  Do they apply to anything?  I don't care, because the band is destroying everything is sight.  Alright, alright, it's a bit jam band friendly, but they're a good jam band at least.

There's a lot more going on with the rest of the tracks as they hit a bit of reggae (Fake Face), some metal (20 Years), loungey R&B (Pimp) and more.  Hopefully this will inspire you to check out some more stuff by this excellent (and still together) band from the nether reaches of good old ME.

Holy shit, it's a blog!

So, here's the deal:  I LOVE music.  I am a musician, an engineer, a producer, a songwriter, and an enthusiast.  My dad started early with the classic rock trivia, and now I'm a damn junkie.  I acquire new music like it's going out of business, to the extreme that a good friend suggested I become a "Music Archivist".  I don't even know if such a thing exists, but so much of my brain is filled with useless musical knowledge that it simply had to spill out somewhere, and guess what: you're there.

Most of this blog will be dedicated to some of the rarer musical tidbits I've come across.  Everyone will tell you that they "like pretty much everything", but I truly do.  From Armenian Liturgical Chants to 80's New Wave to Tuvan Throat Singing to Bluegrass, it's a crazy bundle of listening here.  Over the years I've done a ton of digging for interesting listens, but not on vinyl.  It started with mix tapes which turned into trading Phish shows to trolling for Soul Jazz CDs in the local used bin.  I'm not sure where I'll start or stop, but it should be a fun ride.

One note: I will not be posting links to RapidShare or anyplace to download these tracks, only streams to listen to.  I'm not one to tell you not to steal music, but most people reading this are savvy enough to figure out how to find this stuff easily enough... I don't need to be Mr. Obvious and have the feds breathing down my neck.  Call me paranoid, but why advertise?

Alright Ramblers, let's get Rambling.