Search - Rusty :: Fluke

A great, crunchy mix of alternative and punk rock.

stonedog@geocities.com | Toronto, Canada | 04/29/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rusty's the unpolished, gravelly punk band that Nirvana wanted to be if commercial success hadn't gotten in the way. From the first crunching riff of 'Groovy Dead', you can hear the gleeful inattention to detail that only great garage punk bands can achieve. The drums are punchy and loud; the guitars are ragged and energetic; Ken McNeil's singing voice recalls Johnny Rotten at his all-night-drinking-binge best. And yet Rusty can find beauty in the rough, with a pseudo-ballad called 'California' that fools you into thinking it'll settle into a pop formula, before McNeil unleashes his rage-filled wailing chorus. A marvelous debut album that demonstrates the great promise of this Canadian band."

Grunge, eh?

A. Moore | Toronto, Ont. CAN | 06/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This band was huge in Toronto for about six months in 1995. "Groovy Dead", "Wake Me", and "Misogyny" were all over the radio here. They're not the best written songs you'll ever hear, and the recording quality is unbelievably bad, but there's something about the growl of the guitars and the voice that will really appeal to anyone fond of bands like Failure, Nirvana, or early Foo Fighters. Few albums manage to capture the energy of a live show as well as "Fluke".



Rusty also released two other albums; "Sophormoric" (how clever) in 1997, and "Out Of Their Heads" in 1998. Each of the three albums sound like different bands, but all are worth a listen. "Fluke", though, is easily the best, simply for its raw emotional honesty and grittiness.



Give this album a try; for me, it really acts as the marker for the end of the "grunge" era."

Rusty Needs No Grease

Pork Chop | In the Alley | 06/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hold the mustard, these guys are hot enough. I was fortunate enough to see Rusty play in the late 90's and man, they could really fly. This recording does do them justice, they had a sort of "Replacements meets hard drugs and they don't care" approach to music. To quote cliches, melodic yet rockin, I tip my hat to Rusty, one of the best late 90's rock bands."