Buster Blue second CD a shock

Buster Blue's second CD is an adventure because of its novelty and its setting.

I don't mean novelty like a cheap set of Chinese handcuffs or the Baja Men. Buts its relative newness is a big strength, especially for casual fans.

When their first album debuted, it had great recordings of songs that the band was already moving away from. "This Beard Grows For Freedom," released in 2009, had eight great tunes, but they were among the earliest in the catalog and I had heard them many times already at live shows.

Since that release show in February 2009, I've seen them twice (at Brew HaHa and the Loft), and the songs on "When the Silver's Gone" are like jumping back into a cool pool after sitting on the side for a while — a refreshing shock (but with no risk of drowning).

The whole record feels big. Epic, maybe, but somehow on a small scale. This is partly just how Buster Blue is — folk rock with at least six players and lots of instrumental variety (banjo, accordion, sax, etc.).

But using the stage at the historic Piper's Opera House in Virginia City as a recording studio is also responsible.

The whole record has that character people often ascribe to vinyl. It has clarity but also warmth. It hearkens back with a cutting edge.

Having listened to it, I don't want to go back to tiny studios and tiny bars. That's why I and all of you should be at their CD release show at the John Ascuaga's Nugget Celebrity Showroom on June 18.

That large performance hall may be the closest we get to the sound of this record, at least for a while.

Opening track "Into the Trees (Demons at Play)" is the perfect introduction to the band's sound: always haunting but catchy, too.

It varies within itself, alternating a slow build with swing chorus. The horns and old-timey instruments lend to the creepy feeling imbuing most tracks — even the happy songs, which track two exemplifies.

"On the Line" is bouncy and hopeful, but with twinges of sadness, traces of which stalk every track and give them heft. 

There are 9 more solid tracks, with other fan favorites like "Tabletop" and "Rise Up" finally getting the studio treatment.

"Rise Up," a signature song with yells, chains and explosions of energy is preceded by "Funeral March Interlude." That instrumental sets a perfectly somber tone before ending with a thudding, faint chant of "Rise Up" lyrics and creates chills because you know what is about to happen.

That kind of excitement is one of Buster Blue's gifts. Even when you know it well, the music will still wind you up.

The Nugget concert on Friday night should be a fantastic showcase and the $15 admission comes with a copy of the new album. Support this local group and your ears will thank you.