Yesterday’s Rust - The Story Of Rusty Grey

Yesterday’s Rust 

The Story Of Rusty Grey
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Yesterday’s Rust is a band that started in 2012 but after listening to their recent album The Story Of Rusty Grey they might as well have started in 1967. There is a rich sense of Americana that engulfs the record. You hear fragments of influences ranging from Neil Young to John Fogerty that find their way into the production and delivery. For example, the lead guitars are clean and contain a good amount of reverb mimicking those you have hear of classic rock records from the ‘60s and ‘70s while vocal style and even cadences bears similarities as well.

The album opens with an upbeat tune called “The Prison Song” that combines a sense of nostalgia and optimism. It’s one of the highlights and contains a catchy well delivered vocal melody that lays on top of a dry drum kit, acoustic and lead guitars and bass. 

“Time is Tobias” has its roots in folk music and is devoid of percussion. The style is comparable to that of Gordon Lightfoot. “I Fear Silence” returns to the milieu of the ‘60s and early ‘70s of the first song but is grounded in melancholy this time around. 

They close with a three-part song series that according to the band is about “a story of a man who leaves his family behind him, missing out on his child, and a son that grows up over the years without a father and just wants to spend time with him and in the end sees that he has deprived his child of the same thing that his father has him.” This may not be the feel good story of the year but did display the band's knack for storytelling and creating  a narrative.

The Story Of Rusty Grey is a completely self-produced album. The band recorded, mixed and mastered the album, which may have been a little too much for them to take on. Sometimes the songs sound noticeably thin and elements like the tom drums aren't defined. But as with anything you have to work within your limitations. Despite the cracks in the production the band’s ability to write a good song shines through. The Story Of Rusty Grey is a decent start into hopefully a long musical career. 

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