Son Volt - The Search

Five albums into Son Volt's career--and a pair into the band's rebirth following leader Jay Farrar's several solo ventures--it's time to bury the encumbering "alt-country" moniker that has dogged Farrar since his days in the genre-setting Uncle Tupelo. While the inexhaustible songwriter relied on guitars to drive 2005's rock-heavy Okemah and the Melody of Riot, Son Volt amends its familiar arrangements on The Search, balancing the instrumentation with piano, organ, and dabbles in a horn section. "Feels like drivin' 'round in a slow hearse," Farrar pleads over repetitive piano and East Indian guitar loops in "Slow Hearse." It's a pensive opener that suggests something is askew, but the horns that kick off "The Picture" literally scream it from the Stax vaults. Farrar dives in and out of genres, tingling the ivories to add subtle alterations to both the gorgeous "Underground Dream" and Imagine-like "Adrenaline and Heresy," turning his band into Gang of Four for the 134-second rocker "Satellite" and singing alongside Shannon McNally on the soulful "Highways and Cigarettes." While it may be impossible for this Son Volt to ever reach the pinnacle of their 1995 debut, no one can accuse Jay Farrar of going through the motions. --Scott Holter Amazon.com

Son Volt gets a being-there kind of album

Most people still can't help comparing Jay Farrar's Son Volt to Jeff Tweedy's Wilco since their former band Uncle Tupelo broke up years ago.

Wilco's 2nd album Being There was a creative high-water mark with 2 discs of experimentation and exploration of the band's sound.

The Search does the same for Son Volt...it is their Being There. There are several sounds and styles that one might not have expected from the Son Volt that gave us the classics Trace and Straightaways.

Mr. Farrar is more adventuruous and it shows in this collection of songs. Whether it be the fast rock of Automatic Society and Satellite or the classic vibes of Methamphetamine...this is the sound of a band that has no sonic boundaries. June 7, 2008

great new cd

i bought this for my husband who loves Son Volt. i thought it would be a nice surprise to have their newest album. although his favorite will always be 'trace', he really likes this one too. i listened to it with him last week and found several songs that i really liked. i've always thought so many of their songs sound so much the same, but i didn't feel that way with this one. i thought many of the songs had their own unique sound. i recommend this cd! March 13, 2008

I love Jay Farrar/Son Volt but...

This stinks like rotten sardines. Horn arrangements? Organs? Almost as bad as later period Wilco? This is bad. December 31, 2007

5 stars? Have you ever even listened to TRACE???

OK kids...God knows that I am as much of a Jay Farrar and Son Volt fan as anyone could possibly be (friends and family consider it an incurable addiction). But the truth has to come out ...somehow.
Let's start with a quick history lesson (as I feel it necessary given the various favorable comparisons and reckless inclusion of statements such as " it's a masterpiece" and "best work since Trace" throughout these incredulous reviews. I almost feel like these were penned by just-paroled prisoners that had been force fed Air Supply and Madonna for the last 15 years.)
Uncle Tupelo (def.) - Alternative-country kings.
Uncle T was simply the best at what they did. Even back then, it was clear that you were either in Jay's camp or Jeff's. I don't think Jeff/Wilco suck. I just don't think he/they are in the same universe as Jay/Son Volt.
TRACE (def.) - The pinnacle of alternative-county music.
Anyone who doubts this is merely talking to hear their own voice. ALL of Uncle Tupelo's albums were masterpieces. And TRACE outshines them all.
Straightaways (def.) - The most underrated album of all time.
If TRACE wasn't perfect, then Straightaways would be the best Son Volt album.
Wide Swing Tremelo (def.) - How to ADD to a band's repertoire without losing anything.
THIS is what true Son Volt fans were hoping for when we heard that Jay was pointing the band in a slightly different direction. A truly amazing album.
A Retrospective: 1995-2000 (def.) - THE BEST compilation CD of all time.
As if putting together a "best of" Son Volt album was even possible, but what the hell. Add in unbelievable acoustic versions of Medicine Hat, Loose String, etc. and you have an album that any real Son Volt fan simply can't live without.
Okemah and the Melody of Riot (def. 1) - A great album for a just-formed band.
Okemah and the Melody of Riot (def. 2) - An very good attempt by Jay Farrar to silence critics by expanding his horizons.
I liked the album from day 1. I loved some of the songs. I appreciated Jay's mix of "Son Volt" and his caterings to the musical aristocracy. ....but I was definitely looking forward to the return of the real Son Volt.

Btw - while Jay was always the writer behind Son Volt, even he cannot fill the painfully obvious void left by D&J Boquist and Eric Heywood. I have no bones to pick with the current Son Volt lineup ....other than they aren't Son Volt. ...really - how the hell do you replace a pedal steel guitar player with a keyboardist???

Which leads us to their current offering, the aptly named - The Search.

Now before I go off , I'll put myself in Jay's shoes and say that "If you don't like it, then F*%$ OFF and listen to something else." Believe me, it's my opinion that Jay is such an amazing songwriter/musician that he has every right in the world to take this stance. I wouldn't blame him at all.

That said, I thought I was bored by some of Jay's solo albums. I was wrong. I was mildly entertained and occasionally optimistic. The Search - now that is boring.
So Jay adds some horns to The Picture and people want to ..eh huh, blow `em! Give me a break. The hornless version is far better. Much more Son Volt-like.

Yes, Jay's lyrics are profound at times. ...trite at others (sorry, but it's true. Some lyrics remind me of a 45 year old Ian Astbury singing only to himself and his inner circle. ...believe me, it truly pains me to think this of Jay's work, but honesty is desperately needed in this list of reviews.) But, unlike on other Son Volt albums, several songs sound merely like a speech or an attempt at "polished working class reflectivity" laid over completely unrelated musical tracks. Jay - who are you speaking to? Mr. Bush? I'm all for political statements, but not in lieu of your normally near-perfect songs.

And yes, there are a few songs that, if dispersed among offerings on the level of Trace, Straightaways or W.S.T., would fill the spaces nicely. But those songs are few and far between on The Search and can't possibly be expected to carry the rest of the remarkably uninspired album.

Boring is the word that keeps coming to mind. Boring and disappointing.....

Jay - I'm sorry. Truly I am.

I hope to hear your return on the next album.
November 25, 2007

As with everything good, it grows on you

After the first listen, I had almost no desire for a second. I guess I had my expectations for what a Son Volt album should sound like, and this went against my notions. A few months later I tried it again: hmmm, interesting. Some great parts stood out. Eventually it caught on, and now I'm in awe of this masterpiece. A common story for great works of art, and if you're looking for more under-appreciated masters, buy everything by Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) and Ken Andrews (Year of the Rabbit, Failure, and solo works). October 24, 2007

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