“Rusty Gold”
from the album Or, the Whale
2009
iTunes
Or, the Whale’s roots date back to a post on Craigslist. The story goes that Alex Robins and Matt Sartain placed an ad with the straightforward headline: “Wanna Form a Sweet Country Rock Band?” Once the lineup was eventually sorted out, things fell into place and the band issued their stellar 2007 debut, Light Poles and Pines. After a slew of tours and a ton of glowing press (including an appearance on Good Morning America), the alt-country rockers released their brand-new self-titled album this fall. “Rusty Gold” is one of the standouts on the Bay Area-based band’s latest full-length, thanks to the telling line chorus (“Death is rusty gold…”) and washes of woozy steel guitar mixed with beautiful harmonies.