'Second Rate' is the 2nd Raude solo album recorded a few years ago, it sat for quite a bit but is now released. This is a rock album for sure, though contains a vast landscape of fused genres, instruments, and ideas that seemingly wouldn't go together but somehow work as one album.
This album has a very anti modern major label music industry sound due to it containing real instruments untampered, with minimal trickery or too many unnecessary digital effects. Some call it indie or DIY albums, but its more complicated than putting a label on something.
This album is about getting the sound of the song with probably too many guitars and trying to eliminate this emphasis on the 'big grandiose chorus' when needed. Unusual song structures at times. Straight forwardness as well. Less redundancy though you can't always help it. A guitar solo for the heck of it. Beautifully clean/acoustic guitars in the form of ballads and folksy songs, even in the form of instrumentals as segues to larger songs. Letting the song take you somewhere you may have not expected, though the song doesn't exactly tell you what it needs or doesn't need.
Its about keeping the human mistakes intact (mostly) in the digital music making age. Remember what guitars through amps or an acoustic sound like when you stick a modestly priced microphone cleverly near them? Or rely on your ears and feel? Somewhat ignoring what the standard may be or desired by others.

All music & lyrics written by Greg T./Raude © 2018, 2020.