Part of what made Maine-based group Rustic Overtones so appealing a decade ago was its ability to mix musical ingredients without producing a sour taste. “Rooms by the Hour” in 1998 was an earnest — if slightly clumsy — attempt at eclecticism, and 2001’s “Viva Nueva!” found the horn-infused septet moving toward a focused sound. “Light at the End” picks up where the band left off but also raises questions about where it might end up.

“Light,” produced after a five-year hiatus, sounds a bit thrown together at times. The distorted peaks and pulsating synth of “Rock Like War” hardly complement the loping acoustica of “Carnival,” while the poignant politics of “Dear Mr. President” are laid to rest after only brief examination.

Still, well-constructed horn lines, and infectious and hiccupping rhythmic figures, provide enough reason to dive into the album’s genre-bending tunnel of sound — even if the light is tough to distinguish.

"Light at the End" by Rustic Overtones received two and a half out of four stars.