Drug Rug :: S/T :: Black and Greene Records

Based in the land of Harvard and steep parking fines, Sarah Cronin and Tommy Allen make up the duo that is Drug Rug.  Sorry stoners, there's not much psychadelic mindfruit here except for perhaps the album cover of their self-titled debut, but if you're one to bong it out to twangy folk music then these guys deliver.  Along the lines of the Moldy Peaches without the crudeness, Drug Rug shambles through a few wholesome tunes like "For the Rest of Your Life" and "Cut the Meat" that combine some bluesy instrumentation with bellowed lyrics, thus emanating a feeling of a sticky afternoon on the back porch.  It's these tracks at the beginning of the disc that will introduce the listener to Cronin's Joanna Newsom flavor of vocals, which can certainly be grating when she tries to hit the high notes (like on the awful "Lie Lie Lie") but can also be soothing on the gentler tunes of "Winter Time" and "Alright."  The folk rockers of "Day I Die" and "Walden" are welcome to the ears with the fuller instrumentation, but it's the last track, "Tiny People," that turns out to be one of their stronger tunes.  With 60s-style guitar bridges and the invigorating build up throughout the song that culminates in a feel good pop send out, the first album from Drug Rug concludes on a very positive note towards their future contributions to the local scene.