Search - Son Volt :: Retrospective: 1995-2000

Some Great Stuff, but Repetitive

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 11/05/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"One of my biggest complaints about contemporary pop music is its predictability; I don't buy music by Maroon5, or Destiny's Child, or even Los Lonely Boys, because I feel as though I can predict what their new stuff will sound like even before I hear it, and (sadly) I'm usually right. That's why the `alt-country' movement originally struck me as a good thing. The good alt-country acts possessed a unique sound that could range from Jimmy Rodgers to the Sex Pistols, with plenty of spots in between, and the variety made it fun to listen. Why, then, is this Greatest Hits collection from Son Volt so thoroughly predictable, if not downright dull?

Son Volt has a lineage that could qualify them as major contenders in the alt-country genre. Lead singer/songwriter Jay Farrar played those same roles in Uncle Tupelo, and that band is credited with jump starting the entire "No Depression' movement ("No Depression" was a depression-era tune by country music pioneers the Carter Family, later covered by Uncle Tupelo on their first album called "No Depression", which subsequently inspired the formation of an alt-country magazine entitled No Depression). When Uncle Tupelo split in half, it seemed as though Jay Farrar was destined for bigger and better things. Farrar and drummer Mike Heidorn went on to form Son Volt while his ex-bandmate Jeff Tweedy threw together a band called Wilco. Since Farrar was the `frontman' for Uncle Tupelo, the good money would have bet that Son Volt would come out roaring, while Tweedy's Wilco would wallow in the backroads of the alt-country marketplace. Instead, the exact opposite happened, and this retrospective does a pretty good job of pointing out exactly why.

Everything you need to know about Son Volt takes place on the first two tracks of this collection. "Drown" is a hard-rocking stomp with plenty of attitude, and "Windfall" is a peaceful breeze of melancholy with a burnt sienna tinge that warms the heart. Both are excellent, well-crafted songs (and both appeared on Son Volt's first album, "Trace") that suggest a grand future. The problem, though, is that the band never quite grows beyond these two tracks. It seems as though half of the songs on this collection suggest one or the other; "Route", "Picking Up the Signal" and "Straightface" are all clones of "Drown", while "Too Early" and "Creosote" serve as pale re-writes of "Windfall". The balance of the tracks fall somewhere between the two without ever really distinguishing themselves. "Rex's Blues" is a Townes Van Zandt song that suggests a Civil War-era waltz, but rendered anemic here, while "Back Into Your World" is a mid-tempo yawn of a song with lyrics as generic as the title suggests. Elsewhere, they choose to cover what must surely qualify as the most obscure Springsteen song ever released (a rare B-side rocker called "Open All Night") and the most harrowing song Alex Chilton ever wrote (Holocaust"), but manage to render them bloodless as well.

It's hard to explain why I find myself looking at my watch whenever I play this collection, because the basic ingredients are all there. The band plays conventionally, if not exceptionally well, and Farrar's world-weary voice conveys plenty of character. I believe the fault lies in the absence of variety. While the singing and playing are laudable, they are also predictable. Listening to this entire CD is like having a conversation with someone when you already know the response. There's nothing to stimulate you, and so your mind starts to drift away. Wilco avoided this by turning themselves into something resembling an alt-country version of Radiohead, but Son Volt just plodded on. This sounds terribly negative, and I don't intend to suggest that this CD is a waste of time and/or money. "Drown" and "Windfall" alone are worth the price of admission, but I also think it's fair to say that I expected more. B+ Tom Ryan"

Tasty

Isabel Dickson | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 11/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It always seems odd that Jay Farrar has not become more of a known quantity in the music world. While his former bandmate Jeff Tweedy has let his talent and outgoing personality fuel Wilco, Farrar's tight-lipped, almost painfully shy public persona has kept him lower on the radar. However talent wise, he is right up there with Tweedy and other cutting edge performers today. This is a good collection of quality tunes from a band that should have gotten more coverage."

Nice collection

Michael H. Griffin Jr. | Richmond, Virginia United States | 11/08/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With Trace being one of my favorite lps, this greatest hits draws heavily from that, but also has enough tracks from other works make this a must have for any fan of the alt country genre"