I’ll admit, I didn’t know about the Uncle Tupelo connection between Son Volt and Wilco when I took this CD to review, luckily I have a friend who loves alt country and the whole resource of the internet at my disposal. So here’s the scoop. Uncle Tupelo was the first alt country band to form in the late 80′s and play through the early 90′s until Jeff Tweedy left to form Wilco. Not to be outdone, the other creative force of the famed Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar, formed his own new band called Son Volt. This is the latest album from Son Volt.
Artist: Son Volt
Title: The Search
It’s full of mid tempo alt country glory. The kind of aching, sentimental songs that scream nostalgia, sometimes sad and sometimes full of joy. It’s got that looking out over the country side thinking of friends and family while going for a long drive (maybe even going home) kind of feel. The slide guitar riffs and organ licks fit it perfectly, At first I didn’t like the vocals, I thought they were too close to silly R.E.M. vocals, but if there is one thing that Jay Farrar is, it’s serious about his lyrics and vocals. Notable music moments include the use of horns on “The Picture” (2) to inject a big heaping helping of optimism. “Satellite” (9) feels like getting up on a summer day and driving a pick up truck to work as fast as you can, in the best possible way. My favorite moment is around the 2:29 mark in “L Train” (12) where the piano just opens up and does its thing. Did I mention I love cool little piano solos? Well I do. I also think this album is pretty cool.
