Posted on: September 8, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Over The Rhine is an act that shocked me. I was guessing a much more folksy, classical style out of “Discount Fireworks”, but I hear something like a slow-baked version of Sheryl Crow. The opening track, “Last Night On Earth Again”, is a very radio-friendly song and only goes into a more musical style when the slide guitar plays at the peripheries. This sound continues through “If Nothing Else”. The band has been around for over fifteen years, and it seems as if they have been able to provide hit after hit on this differently-named greatest hits collection. The weird thing is that I have not even heard of the band before putting on the CD, despite the fact that they were on IRS for a large portion of their career and Virgin Records after that.

For individuals that are looking for innocuous and catchy pop-alternative rock, the music provides by Over The Rhine on tracks like the aforementioned “If Nothing Else” is essential. For those individuals that would want something resembling a mixtape in regards to the similarity of styles played by Over The Rhine, one simply cannot do any better than getting this compilation. The fact is that the band borders on the verge of falling into a similar-sounding rut, but has enough differentiation between the specific tracks to keep things interesting. This is a major relief, considering that the disc has a full compliment of 15 tracks, and if the band fell into a rut by “Latter Days”, there would be a ton of extra music to go through. Individuals do need to focus on tracks like “Give Me Strength”, as Over The Rhine seem to take up a more atmospheric sound to their instrumentation.

What results is something that is similar to what was previously committed to disc, but is something that carries itself very differently. The compilation, aside from linking together efforts from a number of different albums, also shows individuals that Over The Rhine could go into a number of different styles. The band deserves to get more publicity in the next few years, and the creation of this greatest hits is essential for new fans to be created. Over The Rhine is a gem of the alternative scene, and this disc will undoubtedly ensure that the band has tons of fans fill their live shows for years to come. Give it a go.

Top Tracks: Born, Ohio

Rating: 6.5/10

Over The Rhine – Discount Fireworks: A Collection / 2007 Back Porch / 15 Tracks / http://www.overtherhine.com / http://www.backporchrecords.com / Reviewed 03 June 2007

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