Jay Farrar - Terroir Blues

On his 2001 solo debut, Sebastopol, and the follow-up EP, ThirdShiftGrottoSlack, Jay Farrar deployed a raft of new collaborators and unexpected musical ideas to fuel his departure from Son Volt. With Terroir Blues, he recycles some of those adventurous strategies while returning to a more conventional band- and song-oriented approach. The result is a disc that's complex and rewarding yet also feels familiar. Atop mostly low-key acoustic arrangements that emphasize piano and steel guitar, Farrar's usual densely written lyrics grapple with the impermanence of life ("Dent County"), love ("Hanging On to You"), and even civilization itself ("Cahokian"). Terroir Blues is also Farrar's first self-released album (Act/Resist Records), a fact that affords him a freedom reflected in the generous track list and experimentation. The disc boasts 23 cuts, including six noise snippets, two instrumental tunes, and reprises of four songs. --Anders Smith Lindall Amazon.com

 why are you here?
You are here because you've come to appreciate Farrar's work. Since he blew up Tupelo, he hasn't made an album that was short on lyrics, musicianship or vocals. He's the real deal. So why are you here? You're not into top 40 nonsense, you're looking up Terrior Blues. Buy it and understand the background. Its Jay's second full-length solo, studio album since taking hiatus from Son Volt. Its 2002-2003. He's going through the passing of his father as well as the birth of the second of his two children. This album is subdued, not somber. Start with Dent County, the 15th track. No one can write about the passing of a father and capture the essence of a man in as few words and as dignified as Jay. To winemakers, "terroir" evokes the mystical melding of light, water, soil, air, and human touch that creates a wine unique to its origin. Dent County is in Missouri, where the Farrar family comes from and Jay's father was born and buried. Put the rest of it together.
Then open your mind to tracks like Hanging on to You, Hard is the Fall..."shaking the hand of the ramblin' man from Montgomery"...a reference to Hank Williams, whose hand his father once shook...No Rolling Back..the last three recorded in different ways...judge the album in its entirety only after you understand the context of these songs...fillers like Space Junk as well. Its about life, our existence...If you don't get Terrior, keep trying. You will. April 8, 2007

 Stop with the Jeff vs. Jay B.S.
Grow up, stop comparing, and start listening. This is a very moving, rewarding album. And I echo the reviewer who emphasized that songs are not repeated, they are reinterpreted.

As for the Space Junk, this kind of composition is venerable by now, hardly experimental. Varèse was composing in the 1920s (um, like, that's almost a century ago), Stockhausen and John Cage in the '40s and '50s. Complaining about it now is like complaining about modern art. Illiterate. June 7, 2006

 Note to Brian
A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine. See http://www.terroir-france.com/theclub/meaning.htm. The connotation is of a character deriving from a specific region. April 1, 2006

 TEW WERDS
I've got two words for this album - BO-RING!!!!!
Space Junk? The whole album is junk. Thankyou. May 8, 2005

 something old, something new
If this music does not reach you, than I am truly sorry. This is Jay Farrar's finest outing; whether you compare it with Uncle Tupelo or Son Volt, you will find this music to be more honest, more beautiful, and despite the warm traditional delivery, more original.
Other reviewers misleadingly refer to songs which are repeated. These are in fact alternate versions, with powerfully different effect. The two versions of 'Heart on the Ground' are a perfect example. These are not the same song, they are two different views of the same stark emotional idea.
This is an album which should be listened to straight through. The 'Space Junk'sections are meant to be in opposition to the rest of the album, in affect clensing your pallate between courses. What better way to reflect on such earth-bound songs (terroir is a French word meaning dirt, or earth) than to contrast them with punctuations of space?
If you are looking for a few good tunes, look somewhere else - this is architecture on a grander scale.
November 10, 2004

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