Son Volt, The Search (Legacy) Their previous release, Okemah and the Melody of Riot, landed at #3 on my top ten list of 2005. Its fair to say I’m biased when talking about Son Volt. Jay Farrar and Mike Heidorn created Son Volt out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo who along with Whiskeytown should be credited with the popularization of alt-country. Considering those bands are no longer active, I get positively giddy every time I hear new stuff from the St. Louis five let alone anything by Jay Farrar. This time around they’ve evolved the sound to include horns, piano and organ. It will be sure to retain old fans and pick up some new ones along the way. A great new release leading into SXSW next week. File under: rock, alt-country.
WORTH MENTION:
- Bright Eyes, Four Winds EP (Saddle Creek)
- The Stooges, The Weirdness (Virgin)
- Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Calling (Zoe/Rounder)
- Maria Taylor, Lynn Teeter Flower (Saddle Creek)
ALSO LOOK FOR:
Arcade Fire, Gary Allen, Gina Villalobos, Grand Champeen, The Greencards, Johnny Cash, Last Train Home, Okkervil River, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, Ry Cooder and more.
See our Release Calendar for more new releases like these.
NOTE: All full album streams courtesy of AOL Music unless otherwise noted. Album streams typically expire shortly after their release.
About the author: Gainesville, FL area creative by day. Music is my muse. I host Twangville’s weekly Readers‘ Pick.