Search - Jay Farrar :: Terroir Blues

My Album Of The Year So Far

darya cowan | Brooklyn, NY United States | 07/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As Steve Earle says at most of his shows before he plays one of Jay's songs, Jay Farrar is one of the finest songwriters in the country. And Terroir Blues is one of his best albums.This album is a collection of songs Farrar wrote around the time his father was dying. The lyrics deal with pain, loss, cherishing the past and looking toward the future. And as with most of Farrar's work, a look at the American landscape, both it's beauty and bleakness, as only he can. Musically, most of the songs feature Farrar's acoustic guitar strumming, accented by Mark Spencer and Eric Heywood's slide guitar and lap steel. There's a beautiful piano based song about Farrar's father called "Dent County." One song features a cello, another a flute, each winding its way alongside Farrar's guitar and incomparable voice. "Fool King's Crown" features a funky electric slide sitar. The album also has 6 short electronic interludes Farrar calls Space Junk that help shape the album. At worst, the space junk doesn't bother you and is over before you know it. But I think it breaks up and adds to the album nicely and keeps a solid flow all the way through.The songs on Terroir Blues are not feel good country rock. But they have great hooks and melodies all the same, and finely crafted tunes. Terroir Blues grabs you at first listen and gets better and better the more you play it. It's an album that demands to be heard on a good set of headphones.I have to laugh at a couple of the reviews I've seen posted here so far. Someone who says to be a longtime fan of Farrar's work says Jay has hit rock bottom with this one. There seems to be a few old Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt fans who don't want to hear anything from Jay that's not exactly like his great work with those bands. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but to give this album 2 stars and to say Farrar has hit rock bottom is a joke. It's a great album. I like it as much as Son Volt's "Trace." And another reviewer complains that he looked up the word "Terroir" in the American Heritage dictionary and can't find it. Terroir is a French word that is not easily defined but a fairly close definition is the delicate balance between nature and man. That's much of what the album is about. This is music that hits you hard, touches your soul and makes you think.Near the end of the album there are 4 alternate takes of songs heard earlier. To me, this is just a great bonus. Instead of having to find these takes on a B-side or on the Internet, they're right there on the album to do what you want with.The worst I've heard about this album from anyone without an agenda is that they either liked it but didn't love it at first - or that they didn't know what to make of it all at first listen - but that it's the kind of album that makes you want to spin it again and the more you listen to it, the better it gets. I agree it gets better with each listen, but it grabbed me right away.Comparisons between Farrar and his former partner in Uncle Tupelo, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, are getting old and tiresome. The only comparison worth mentioning anymore is that both are responsible for some of the best American music the last dozen years or so. Bottom line, if you like Farrar's work in Tupelo or Son Volt, you should get Terroir Blues."

Thanks Jay!!

David | corbin, ky United States | 09/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thank you Jay for not giving in to any expectations before going in to the studio. It's nice to hear an artist that can make music for the sake of music and not record the same songs over and over again. I admit I didn't know what to think of the album at first. It was different from the last album by far. It took me a couple of listens to get to know the songs, and after that...well, I can't get the cd out of the player. I have noticed that albums that take a couple of listens to get into, usually have more long-term staying power than albums that catch you right off the bat. i.e. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. (tell me that one isn't different...)
After seeing Jay live again last week, I was re-affirmed in why he is one of my favorite artists. He is a no-frills artist that writes songs from the heart and not from the wallet."

Hello, again, old friend

Brian Jirousek | White Plains, NY | 09/19/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, I admit this is the first I've listened to Jay in quite some time. I think I lost interest sometime after "Trace" when I felt like he was just spinning his wheels. If anything, the buzz about this being a more "experimental" release (which seems to have ticked off few people) is actually what brought me back to give this a spin. Truth be told, Jay's experiments here aren't anything earth-shattering (some backwards effects, a few odd echoes here and there, and some alternate takes), but just the fact that he's willing to put forth such a raw effort is heartening. There are some truly beautiful moments here. The sparseness reminds me some of UT's "March" album, but still feels like a move forward. Not necessarily an easy listen, but why should it be? Overall, I like it. Its true that this one isn't likely to win many new converts, but that's only because a lot of people unfortunately probably won't ever get to hear this."