“The Right Track: Tunes To TargetCancer” features exclusive downloads of new and rare music from acts like Weezer, Ween, The Donnas, The Cowboy Junkies, and Drug Rug, with more artists to be added in the coming months. The series will utilize the Radiohead pay-what-you-wish method, so, say for example you, you want Weezer’s previously unreleased cut, “The Rat Race” (The song was recorded in the summer of 2003 at Rod Cervera’s studio in L.A., in sessions originally planned for an acoustic release. However, it was never released.) Well, then head on over to therighttrack.com and click buy and then select your price ($.99 minimum).

In addition to the songs, The Right Track will sponsor a series of concerts and events, with 100% of proceeds from all its initiatives going directly to research funding. A list of songs currently available through the series can be found below.

The Right Track: Tunes To Target Cancer songs:
Weezer – “The Rat Race”
Ween – “DC Won’t Do You No Good”
The Donnas – “Can’t Keep It a Secret”
Cowboy Junkies – “In My Time of Need” (Ryan Adams cover)
Dean and Britta – “International Velvet Theme” (Caledonia Mix)
Buffalo Tom – “Thrown” (Live From Somerville Theater)
Linda Thompson – “Never the Bride”
Mike Viola – “This is Love, This is Life”
Drug Rug – “Coffee In the Morning” (Alternate Version)
The Gravel Pit – “Yellow Light Purple”
Happy Ending – “Through Your Eyes”

Now in 2009, we have another set of lovebirds to make those single listeners feel extra lonely. Enter Tommy Allen and Sara Cronin, also known as Boston’s Drug Rug. After meeting at a mutual work place in Cambridge, the two had their first date trading back acoustic tunes that they had written. The two then decided to turn their blooming attraction into music magic and in 2007 recorded a very lo-fi self-titled debut, all in their kitchen. Now, after picking up a few friends to help out, the duo returns with their next offering of feel good, 60’s heavy hits.

Paint The Fence Invisible is a new chance for a band that needed a little help to get their ideas over the counter and on to the wax, and what we’re left with can’t be turned down. On newfound home Black and Greene Records, Drug Rug has been able to stretch out a bit, and with a surprising amount of detail. The little punctuations in each track are just as planned as the simple and catchy main structure, as is the case with the haunting/clever xylophone in “Don’t Be Frightened By the Devil”, or the subtle zither on “Sooner The Better”. All said, what really grabs your attention are the adorable harmonies from our new indie couple.

The vocal trade off between Allen and Cronin sounds effortless. Record opener “Follow” is a minute long tease leading right into the paranoid duet of “Haunting You”. The seductive “Don’t Be Frightened by The Devil” carries brilliant interplay that litters the reverberated track. The harmonies create melodies that cause the two to sound better together than they do apart as much of the record focuses on Allen’s all too standard vocals for a lead.

Though, the real surprises come when Cronin is let loose on the bluesy “Hannah, Please”, where she sings with a snide, sarcastic wail. The effect sounds almost as if she had swallowed an amplifier right before recording and let the attitude fly — and how she soars. Cronin’s got the kind of voice that grabs a man by the balls and twists, which is surprising when contrasted with her more prominent-yet-shy backing parts. On the downside, she only reappears solo once more, and for the album closer and namesake. This time, however, her voice is much quieter with a simple strum to back her. It’s the most stripped down track on the record and acts to wake you out of the hazy Drug Rug trance you’ve been lulled into.

The move to a cleaner sound has worked in their favor tremendously. Paint The Fence Invisible provides us with track after track of moments that let you into the couples’ mind and heart. Altogether, these tunes are ventures that mesmerize and swoon from one sunny-stoned track to the next. Come to think of it, this will be a perfect companion for the long hot days ahead.

Check Out:
“Never Tell”

The new album was recorded primarily in a haunted house in the Catskill mountains of New York, where the band decided to take a hi-fi approach to a lo-fi aesthetic. Everything was laid down on tape with the help of Carter Tanton of Tulsa, Jeremy Black of Apollo Sunshine and Julian Cassanetti. The result? An effort described as timely and timeless – ooh la la.

Tracklist below. Tour dates forthcoming.

Paint The Fence Invisible Tracklist:
01. Follow
02. Haunting You
03. Never Tell
04. Blue Moon
05. Hannah, Please
06. Don’t Be Frightened by the Devil
07. Noah Rules
08. Coffee in the Morning
09. Passes On
10. Sooner the Better
11. Paint the Fence Invisible