From the opening track of Son Volt’s latest release, one wonders again where Jay Farrar went wrong. Though nothing on the record sounds particularly out of place (even the brassy horns on “The Picture”), everything on it leaves a bad taste in the mouth — like Listerine after a bad kiss. It’s less guitar-heavy than Son Volt’s previous release, presumably in an attempt to gain credibility with fans of the Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire.
Even though this band, which sounds like a bunch of indie session players, is not the band that Farrar used on 1994’s Trace, Farrar somehow survives. That’s because his voice sounds as near-perfect as it ever has, allowing Trace’s buoyancy to linger in the background. That record was and still is a milestone record, but here’s the reality of the Son Volt phenomenon: Many hope that Farrar has another great one in him, and they keep hanging around to find out. But The Search isn’t the one; it’s just another well-produced, well-sung, but ultimately soulless Jay Farrar record.
This article appears in Mar 14-20, 2007.
Get a clue you moron. “The Search” is a great record. As was Wokemah and the Melody Of Riot, as was Wideswing Temolo, and as was Trace. Excuse the fuck out of Jay Farrar for having the balls and artistic vision to NOT follow in the footsteps of all of the lame ass writers and bands out there who insist on making the same record time and time again because it worked once upon a time. Open your mind and listen to Jay’s records for what they really are: Individual pieces of a larger puzzle. I am sick to death of the “It’s not as good as Trace” mentality every time this guy puts out a record. Get over it. If you want to listen to the same record put out under a multitude of titles, there’s always the AC/DC catalog. And while I’m ranting, I’m not sure what you are trying to get at with the snide remarks like “Sounds like indie session players” and “Well produced and soulless” but you can shove that up your ass too. I have had it with the idea that a release is weak because it’s properly mixed and produced, and has players on it that actually took the time to learn their instruments. A record doesn’t have to sound like it was made on a radio shack cassette recorder by a bunch of mentally challenged chimps to have soul, or to be credible. You are obviously one of the vast army of musical dimwits too busy roaming aimlessly around looking for the next big suck-ass “indie” savior to come along to even notice when the goods are right in front of you. Why don’t you stick to reviewing something that takes a little less brain power, like, peanut butter or something. You obviously don’t know shit about music.