It’s not exactly a “best-of.”
Rather, Over the Rhine’s new album Discount Fireworks is a collection of some of the highlights and memorable excursions along their 15-year journey.
If you haven’t discovered American music’s best-kept secret, well, this may be the best place to start. It’s not the most cohesive work they’ve released, because it spans more than a decade of different styles and sounds.
But it will impress you, as Karin Bergquist’s voice is extraordinary over a range of styles; her musical collaborations with husband Linford Detweiler are genuine expressions of spritual inquiry, passion, and struggle; and Linford’s piano playing and lyrics are artful, spirited, playful, and profound.
So… does that mean that fans shouldn’t bother? That depends. Do you want to hear a brand new song about how “Elvis is king, but Jesus is Lord”? Do you like to collect alternate versions of Over the Rhine’s songs? There are some cool new twists to old favorites included here.
Discount Fireworks is a welcome addition to the Over the Rhine catalog, but watch out… it’s not enough to keep their loyal fans clamoring for the next studio release.
Here’s the track listing.
1. LAST NIGHT ON EARTH AGAIN
2. IF NOTHING ELSE
3. SUITCASE
4. GIVE ME STRENGTH
5. LATTER DAYS
6. THE WORLD CAN WAIT
7. SHOW ME
8. BORN
9. ALL I NEED IS EVERYTHING
10. OHIO
11. SLEEP BABY JANE
12. HOW DOES IT FEEL (TO BE ON MY MIND)
13. LOOKIN’ FORWARD (live)
14. WITHIN WITHOUT
15. LIKE A RADIO