2008 Woodie Awards
CD Review: Rustic Overtones, "Light at the End"
Lisa Haberzettl
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Style
Maine-born band Rustic Overtones is releasing their first album since returning from a five-year hiatus. "Light at the End" features 12 new tracks that highlight their ability to mate a catchy tune with meaningful lyrics. The band's striking instrumental arrangement, paired with accessible vocals, make every song moving and relevant.
The collection opens with a strange 17-second track titled "The Calm," a brief experimentation with sounds that blend seamlessly into the second track and first distinguishable song on the album, "Rock Like War," a celebration of making the best of stormy days. It began with a vivid image of a dreary winter day and ended with frolicking in a summer rain. Lead singer Dave Gutter sings, "It's just a thunderstorm, baby, / there's nothing you should fear. / The sky's broken," shortly before slipping into an infectious round of "na na na's."
The third track of the CD, "Letter to the President," is told from the point of view of a soldier writing to the president about war-front experiences. Unlike most songs protesting war, the speaker comes across as more battle-weary than war-torn. The opening verse explains "I always hit my target, / I just miss my happy home." The song is a refreshing addition to the sea of embittered anti-war songs.
Jazz and Big Band influences run rampant in the following tracks, including "Troublesome," "Hardest Way Possible," and "Black Leather Bag."
"Carnival," is a humorously sad song about a man losing a girl when she runs away to join the circus. The lament runs, "She loved the carnival more than she loved me. / How can I hold her like the strongest man alive?" While the premise of the song is ridiculous, anyone who has ever loved and lost for some stupid reason is sure to empathize.
The title song, "Light at the End," is exactly what it sounds like. The speaker in the song tries to stay positive when everything conceivable goes wrong: "This wicked world is twisted sideways, / but all things will turn around."
Following the suggestion of the title, Rustic closes out the album with what is possibly the happiest song since Simon and Garfunkel's "49th Street Bridge Song." The song, titled "Happy," lives up to its name and leaves the listener feeling ultra-relaxed and mellow.
Living up to its name and hype, Light at the End is sure to please Rustic's already substantial fan base and create new fans of any listener. While the CD is not scheduled for release until March 18, fans can go online to www.myspace.com/rusticovertones and listen to four tracks from the new album.
Grade: B+
The collection opens with a strange 17-second track titled "The Calm," a brief experimentation with sounds that blend seamlessly into the second track and first distinguishable song on the album, "Rock Like War," a celebration of making the best of stormy days. It began with a vivid image of a dreary winter day and ended with frolicking in a summer rain. Lead singer Dave Gutter sings, "It's just a thunderstorm, baby, / there's nothing you should fear. / The sky's broken," shortly before slipping into an infectious round of "na na na's."
The third track of the CD, "Letter to the President," is told from the point of view of a soldier writing to the president about war-front experiences. Unlike most songs protesting war, the speaker comes across as more battle-weary than war-torn. The opening verse explains "I always hit my target, / I just miss my happy home." The song is a refreshing addition to the sea of embittered anti-war songs.
Jazz and Big Band influences run rampant in the following tracks, including "Troublesome," "Hardest Way Possible," and "Black Leather Bag."
"Carnival," is a humorously sad song about a man losing a girl when she runs away to join the circus. The lament runs, "She loved the carnival more than she loved me. / How can I hold her like the strongest man alive?" While the premise of the song is ridiculous, anyone who has ever loved and lost for some stupid reason is sure to empathize.
The title song, "Light at the End," is exactly what it sounds like. The speaker in the song tries to stay positive when everything conceivable goes wrong: "This wicked world is twisted sideways, / but all things will turn around."
Following the suggestion of the title, Rustic closes out the album with what is possibly the happiest song since Simon and Garfunkel's "49th Street Bridge Song." The song, titled "Happy," lives up to its name and leaves the listener feeling ultra-relaxed and mellow.
Living up to its name and hype, Light at the End is sure to please Rustic's already substantial fan base and create new fans of any listener. While the CD is not scheduled for release until March 18, fans can go online to www.myspace.com/rusticovertones and listen to four tracks from the new album.
Grade: B+
Be the first to comment on this story