According to their Facebook page, Rubblebucket is a Brooklyn-based band who describes their sound as visual/visual/visual. For newcomers to the band, this might not make much sense. However, to anyone that has seen the band live or has listened to them since their inception, this description actually seems pretty accurate.
What started as just a side-project back in 2007 (originally called Rubblebucket Orchestra) by two music majors from the University of Vermont, Rubblebucket quickly made a name for themselves around New England, especially in the Boston music scene. By the time the group debuted their first album Rose’s Dream in 2008, they had already begun touring full time. The following year they released their self-titled album, which in addition to their high-energy live shows, garnered them the recognition from the Boston Music Awards for “Best Live Act of the Year”.
Flash forward five years, three EPs, one album and countless shows around the country (and the world). Rubblebucket has just released their fourth album Survival Sounds, embarking on a headlining tour across the U.S. which began with two sold out shows in New York.
Along with the group’s seemingly continuous lineup fluctuations over the past five years, their sound has changed as well. The group began as an “Afro-beat band” playing small house parties according to trombonist Alex Toth and vocalist/saxophonist Kalmia Traver, two of the band’s original members. However, over the years Rubblebucket has slowly morphed into some sort of psychedelic, dance collective which first became evident in their last EP Save Charlie.
Survival Sounds continues where that EP left off, further exhibiting an electronic sound with a ton of pop-sensibility fueled by Kalmia’s wild and uninhibited vocals which also serves to drive the melody in many of these songs. Vibrant synthesizers and keyboards, heavy bass and drums, and often fuzzy, distorted guitars only add to the trippy, rave-induced feeling of this album.
“Carousel Ride” and “Sound of Erasing”, two of the album’s singles are a good representation of the band’s self-described “visual” sound. “Sound of Erasing” especially paints a vibrant landscape of sounds and colors with lyrics like “We were baptized in the ocean, to the sound of us erasing, all the demons that were chasing us. Drown them out, out, out.”
While a majority of recent pop and dance acts’ music falls short because of a lack of imagination, sincerity and musicianship, Rubblebucket is simply too talented to make the same mistakes. By incorporating their signature horn section and unique, danceable melodies into almost every song, Survival Sounds is a great example of a group that is not afraid to push the boundaries of what a “dance” band should sound like.
If anything, this album indicates that Rubblebucket will not only continue exploring unknown territory, but they will do so with the same passion, musicianship and fun that they have always shown. Fans, myself included, are undoubtedly excited to be along for the ride.
-Words by Mark McGwin