Son Volt - The Search

Son Volt
The Search
Transmit Sound/Legacy
Grade: A-

Besides from the Cardinals and Budweiser, Jay Farrar is one of the best things about St. Louis. Though only one band in a crowd, Son Volt stands out like a beacon of light for wayward rockers in Middle America. And in that mindset and after the somewhat turbulent times surrounding Son Volt and headman Jay Farrar’s history comes one of the band and Farrar’s best with the fourteen song The Search. Featuring intricate song textures, vast instrumentation, and an uncanny level of catchiness, The Search is an album that’s hard to put down.

Farrar is an artist that you know even if you don’t think that you do. First and previously best known for his work in the legendary alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, Farrar formed Son Volt after his previous band’s demise. Dropped by Warner Bros. in 1999 after the critically acclaimed albums, though not exactly commercial smashes, Trace (1995), Straightaways (1997), and Wide Swing Tremolo (1998), Farrar ventured out as a purely solo artist for the next few years. With essentially an entirely new band, Farrar led Son Volt back with 2005’s Okemah and the Melody of Riot. On now Son Volt’s fifth album, Farrar is joined by Dave Bryson (drums), Derry deBorja (keys), Andrew Duplantis (bass), and Brad Rice (guitars). Recorded in St. Louis (they actually record stuff here?) with John Agnello, The Search bridges the alt-country/Americana gap with Uncle Tupelo while simultaneously making its own mark.

The Search begins on the cautious mover “Slow Hearse” to piano and Farrar’s vocals. This austere opener is soon greeted by the most uptempo rocker on The Search – “The Picture.” Featuring Chris Deusinger and Keith Moyer on horns, “The Picture” hides its social and political lyrics inside the rather upbeat feel. This is clear with a glance at the opening lines of “Hurricanes in December – earthquakes in the heartland/Bad air index on a flashing warning sign/Bound for trouble – the picture is dirty” all phrased in Farrar’s most Americana singer-songwriter cadence. “Action” opens like you are taking acid in a lost psychedelic desert until the main guitars kick in and unleashes a heavy riff matched by Farrar’s vocals. “Underground Dream” and “Circadian Rhythm” both slow the tempo, allowing lines such as “There is a wiretapping stealing a nightmare” to seep out. Bringing back Americana cadences “Beacon Soul” again hides serious lyrics in a good-feeling musical atmosphere. The title track is solid though not entirely memorable, while “Adrenaline and Heresy” resorts to haunting piano and some of Farrar’s most pained vocals before an upturn ending. “Satellite” and “Automatic Society” both are short rockers that echo mid-career REM with heavier doses of alt-country. Playing a hard-luck, working hard narrative, Farrar rambles through “Methamphetamine” with the mind-sticking chorus of “Would you take me back North Carolina/Would you take me back Arkansas….” “L Train” to Williamsburg is about the borough of Brooklyn and its flocking power, and hits strong melodies on “Everyone speaks their own movie/Making dialogue in designer finds.” The Search closes out on “Highways and Cigarettes” and “Phosphate Skin.” The former features Shannon McNally on backing vocals and Eric Heywood on pedal steel as Son Volt moves slowly through the country on touring roads. “Phosphate Skin” is an acoustic-centered ballad with a set of dismal lines – and maybe not the best manner in which to end a significant album.

With The Search, Jay Farrar and Son Volt reestablish themselves in the hearts, minds, and ears of indie rock, alt-country, and Americana fans and devotees. An extended cohesive lineup such as this will generate great material for years to come.