Product Description

Two years after his confident self-titled debut, Miles Nielsen is back and he wants you to meet his band: The Rusted Hearts. While the cast of characters is largely the same as the first time, this album is a quantum leap in scope. Two years spent travelling together in a van, hitting the big spots on the map (and the all-important little town in between) rubs off on these songs. There's a timeless, road-worn quality to this batch of Americana; it's as much a travel through time as space. The instrumentation: forlorn French Quarter clarinet, boozy Memphis horns, vintage Wurlitzer and baroque violin, mixed with the standard guitar/drums/bass would sound just as warm on a old Victrola as it does on your iPod. Even the people who populate these songs range from people you'd find in a Steinbeck novel to that sad sack at closing time last night. The opening shuffle, de facto theme song "Rusted Hearts" sets the scene with a Charlie Chaplain reference and wheezy organ. Waltz-time "Dear Kentucky (You're Killing Me)" is thick with cigarette smoke, hungover daylight and regret. "Sirens" begins on a minor key New Orleans- Styled woodwind part but quickly reveals a sunny "I was just waiting on the rainbow" chorus. Lest you think the whole album is all nuance and genre work, there are ample rockers as well. "Cold War" chugs along with subtle xylophone touches; "Overrated" rolls in on a rollicking two-bar drum intro and a healthy sense of humor and "The Grain" features a hooky, wordless chorus, chiming guitar and bright Wurlitzer piano. Miles Nielsen Presents The Rusted Hearts rewards repeat listening, as lyrics and music slowly reveal themselves over time. Like your favorite broken-in jacket, it just gets better with age.