Jay Farrar resurrected Son Volt in 2005 after his solo career seemingly ran out of gas, and the two albums that followed -- Okemah and the Melody of Riot and The Search -- were the best and most compelling music he'd made since Son Volt's masterful debut Trace in 1995. However, the new albums didn't connect with an especially large audience, and the band was dropped by Sony/BMG; 2009's American Central Dust, the third set from Son Volt 2.0, has been released by the venerable independent roots music label Rounder Records, and while there's little telling if it was dictated by finance or esthetics, the album sounds austere in a way its immediate predecessors did not. Okemah and The Search found Farrar and his new bandmates edging into new musical territory while embracing a bigger studio sound; by comparison, American Central Dust feels more organic and intimate, recalling the simplicity of Trace without delivering the bracing ock & roll of songs like "Drown" or "Route." However, if American Central Dust takes a few steps back in terms of energy and impact, Farrar still sounds thoroughly engaged as both a songwriter and performer, and his band -- Chris Masterson on guitars, Mark Spencer on keyboards and steel guitars, Andrew DuPlantis on bass, and Dave Bryson on drums -- is tight and sympathetic, finding just the right angle to approach this material. And from the fiery love of "Dynamite," the environmental and economic commentary of "When the Wheels Don't Move," and "Down to the Wire," the tribute to the joys of a good honky tonk in "Jukebox of Steel," and the glimpse into Keith Richards' psyche of "Cocaine and Ashes," Farrar has rarely spoken his mind so clearly in his songs as he does here, and if he still reaches for a spectral feel, his meanings are more clearly felt than ever. American Central Dust doesn't have the feel of a step into new territory the way Son Volt's past two albums did, but it consolidates old strengths and confirms Jay Farrar is still an artist worth caring about to 20 years after Uncle Tupelo cut their first album.
I've always cheered for Jay Farrar. Ever since the collapse of Uncle Tupelo, Farrar's Son Volt has played the underdog to Jeff Tweedy's Wilco.So is it a coincidence that Farrar is releasing Son Volt's new album American Central Dust one scant week after Tweedy released Wilco's tepid Wilco (The Album)? I don't know, I'll leave that for you to decide.Unfortunately, just as Wilco has pushed
More >
There is a timely resilience to this record, and Son Volt deliver it with energy, but they just don't take that earnest country feel as far as it could go.
More >
I don't know if it's by design or not, but around each new Wilco release, there seems to be a new Son Volt album -- which is OK with me. This song "Roll On" has a nice feel. Give it a few spins and let it sink in. Others have posted "Down to the Wire" -- which I like, too. Could we have another "Trace" on our hands? Looking forward to the whole enchilada on July 7.
More >
MUSIC NEWS - Son Volt have just announced their summer plans, and are gearing up for the release of their new album 'American Central Dust', out July 7 Rounder Records (order here), an appearance at the Rothbury festival in Rothbury, MI, and a co-headlining tour with the Cowboy Junkies; which begins July 8 in Denver, CO at the Ogden Theatre. Son Volt band leader, and former Uncle Tupelo...
More >
There is a timely resilience to this record, and Son Volt deliver it with energy, but they just don't take that earnest country feel as far as it could go.
More >
Son Volt is returning with American Central Dust on July 7th, an album that will be “an epic lament for the heartland” according to the folks at Rounder. The official Son Volt site says the new album is reminiscent of “the melodic succinctness of the band’s debut album Trace”. Good news, as that album is one of the classics of the mid-90s alt country heyday and is by far the best thing F
More >
AOL/Spinner is streaming the following albums through Sunday, July 12, so listen while you can. • 'American Central Dust' by Son Volt (MP3) • 'Life on Earth' by Tiny Vipers (MP3) • 'LP' by Discovery (MP3) • 'Upper Air' by...
More >
MP3: Son Volt - "Down To The Wire " from American Central Dust, due July 7 on Rounder. No, it's not the Buffalo Springfield outtake, although I can totally hear Jay Farrar singing that. Did Uncle Tupelo used to...
More >
Son VoltAmerican Central Dust(Rounder)Release: 7 July 2009SONG LIST1. Dynamite2. Down to the Wire3. Roll On4. Cocaine and Ashes5. Dust of Daylight6. When the Wheels Don't Move7. No...
More >
I've always cheered for Jay Farrar. Ever since the collapse of Uncle Tupelo, Farrar's Son Volt has played the underdog to Jeff Tweedy's Wilco.So is it a coincidence that Farrar is releasing Son Volt's new album American Central Dust one scant week after Tweedy released Wilco's tepid Wilco (The Album)? I don't know, I'll leave that for you to decide.Unfortunately, just as Wilco has pushed
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Dynamite |
|
|
| 2 Down to the Wire |
|
|
| 3 Roll On |
|
|
| 4 Cocaine and Ashes |
|
|
| 5 Dust of Daylight |
|
|
| 6 When the Wheels Don't Move |
|
|
| 7 No Turning Back |
|
|
| 8 Pushed Too Far |
|
|
| 9 Exiles |
|
|
| 10 Sultana |
|
|
| 11 Strength and Doubt |
|
|
| 12 Jukebox of Steel |
|
|
Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "American Central Dust")
