Search - Old 97's :: Too Far to Care

Thank you kmart in laredo

senatorhung | iqaluit, nunavut, canada | 04/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this is the all-time best cd i have ever bought without previously knowing anything about the artist. having just escaped a 5-week stint on a seismic boat in the gulf of mexico, we were ready to party hearty. a border town jaunt seemed to be a good idea and we set off from corpus cristi, heading to the laredo frontier. stopping off in the local k-mart for weekend supplies, i spotted the music section and dove in to find something to clear out the endless classic rock that had been pumped into my ears offshore.picked up 2 cd's of artists that i had never heard of before. the first was sara hickman's 'misfits' and the other was this cd by the old 97's. i had been attracted by the bold cover art and seeing as i was in west texas, by the song titles - west texas teardrops, big brown eyes, salome. kudos and thanks to whoever at kmart ordered these cd's for their laredo store and racked them so that local texas artists were visible right up-front.i never ended up going back onto the boats and was instead assigned to work in hotel rooms in south and central texas. i took the old 97's everywhere. this is the cd that i would turn to if i needed a pick-me-up, a way to drown out any heartaches of daily life with a sing-along bellow.after returning to my native canada, i ended up seeing the band at the infamous horseshoe in toronto. opening for them was a denton band that i had never heard of - slobberbone. needless to say, i enjoyed the whole evening, especially getting this cd cover autographed by all of the band members. i have all of their cd's (and all of slobberbone's and all of sara's ...) and have enjoyed every one of them, but 'too far to care' is my hands-down favourite.i recently lent my copy of this cd to someone and they are permanently in my bad books for having misplaced it during an apartment move. while i have most of the songs ripped to mp3s already, and still have the autographed liner, i am SO glad that the internet allows me to find and buy a replacement copy. yes, i could burn my own, but i just want to be able to look those dusty cowboys straight in the eyes."

Brilliant

Jeremy P. Meyers | Austin, TX | 11/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this album. "Too Far to Care" is fantastic, a near-perfect blend of punk snarl, pop energy, great hooks, and clever wordplay, with just enough twang to let you know that these guys hail from Dallas. A lot of pop music is about catharsis: an outpouring of emotion meant to help one cope with loss or regret. This album is no different; the characters in these songs have seen hard times and bad luck. What is unique about this album is that the catharsis that is yielded not only mitigates the pain, but obliterates it. These songs are capable not only of making you feel less bad about hearbreak, but maybe even to feel better than you did before you got your heart broken in the first place. How? With great songs that will burrow their way into your subconscious, sing-along melodies, great harmonies, runaway-train drumbeats, and arrangements that strike a perfect balance (and tension) between acoustic pop perfection and electric snarl. Rhett Miller is a fantastic songwriter, occasionally going for the funny, too-clever phrase ("she's gonna kill me/and I don't mean softly") and sometimes just cutting right to the heart of the matter: ("My blood's turned to dirt, girl/You broke every part of me." ) What elevates this album above and beyond being just a songwriter's showcase, though, is that they work as a *band.* The harmonies between Rhett and bass player Murry Hammond are so tight that they seem to be forged intuitively, Ken Bethea's guitar are melodic while skirting the sharp edge of distortion, and Philip Peeples's drumming is propulsive and accomplished. The songs are concentrated at the hyperfast end of the tempo spectrum, but they slow things down with the haunting ballad "Salome" and demonstrate that they can pull that off as well as anyone (a demonstration that will be proven out again on subsequent albums "Fight Songs" and "Satellite Rides.") Long-time fans often lament the loss of twang on their follow up albums, but what I miss is the unbridled energy that percolates through most of these songs. I defy you to play "Timebomb" a time or two without feeling compelled to turn up your stereo very loud and sing along. Four years after its release, this album still demands heavy rotation in my CD player, and comes the closest to capturing the energy and sheer joy of seeing this band perform live."

Innovative and addictive.

peterb | Pittsburgh, PA | 01/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is this country-influenced rock or rock-influenced country? Who cares? It is some of the most enjoyable music to come out of Texas in 20 years. The Old 97's have a mature, practiced sound that will evoke REM, Giant Sand, and a few of the other 'regional' bands of the 80s that made it big.Nearly every song on the album is (well, should be) a hit. The 97's work best when they're on the personal level. The lyrics are from the George Jones school of writing: "And I'm tired of making friends / and I'm tired of making time / and I'm sick to death of love / and I'm sick to death of trying / but its easier for you, / its easier for you." (from "Salome") The music is infectious and sincere. Highly recommended."