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.