Notes Of Blue's "Back Against The Wall" ties all of those elements and influences into one bracing anthem of endurance, as Farrar offers notes of encouragement that could double as mantras for his own rich and underrated career. Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen remain useful touchstones for describing Son Volt's approach, from the alternating potency and delicacy of the guitars to the singers' shared willingness to turn a jaundiced eye to cruel power structures. At just 31 minutes, Notes Of Blue provides a lean and sturdy showcase for Farrar's eternally weary but undiminished voice - which here gets employed in the service of shimmery ballads ("Promise The World," "Cairo And Southern") and rowdy, chugging rockers ("Static," "Lost Souls") alike. ApSign in to view read count The reissue of Son Volt's The Search on both CD and vinyl configurations ties up loose ends in the seminal Americana band's discography, but, more importantly, it documents Jay Farrar 's earliest departure into variations on his fundamental style of writing and recording. But their fates and reputations shifted considerably from there: Wilco grew more iconic and creatively expansive, ultimately overshadowing even the genre-defining band that spawned it, while Son Volt settled into cult status and an unsteady career path marked by lineup and label changes, as well as a hiatus to accommodate a brief solo career.īut Son Volt has always deserved more attention than it's gotten, and the occasion of its eighth album is as good a time as any to revisit a sound that's worn well with time. In 1995, those bands - Son Volt, led by Jay Farrar, and Wilco, led by Jeff Tweedy - released similarly heralded (and terrific) debuts. Every time I go to my favorite record store in DC, Joint Custody, I’m reminded of how many amazing albums you can get at incredible prices.
(Photo by Casey Vock) I’m going to begin this review with a digression, but trust me: it’s going to make sense. After all, Uncle Tupelo had always balanced two distinct singing and songwriting voices, and both were held in similarly high esteem at the time. Mark Engleson - Ma0 Son Volt perform at The Birchmere on March 2, 2022. When Uncle Tupelo splintered into two bands back in 1994, both offshoots seemed primed for more or less equal success. While Honky Tonk doesn’t necessarily take Son Volt down a new road, the band’s seventh studio album is a call to open landscapes and dotted yellow lines painted on black asphalt, and few bands can evoke Americana, loss and redemption the way Son Volt does.Courtesy of the artist Son Volt, Notes Of Blue Son Volt perform at The Birchmere on March 2, 2022. Farrar’s voice remains one of the most unique in the genre, and it sounds best with a classic splash of California sun ( Bakersfield, Seawall). “There’s a world of wisdom/Inside a fiddle tune/Throw this love down the highway/See where it takes you,” Farrar muses on Down The Highway. On Honky Tonk, the alt-country trailblazers (born from the dissolution of ’90s icons Uncle Tupelo, which also birthed Jeff Tweedy’s Wilco), Farrar and company return to a more sombre, stripped down country core reminiscent of the ballads on early works Trace and Wide Swing Tremolo. “Your heart is your fortress/Ramparts and shackled doors,” Son Volt main man Jay Farrar sings on Brick Walls, his voice a dust-swept moan carried by fiddle and acoustic guitar. ALT-COUNTRY HONKY TONK Son Volt (Rounder) ***1/2 (out of five)
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