Son Volt - Trace

Somewhere in the past four or five years, I became a sucker for country-rock and alt-country. I think it's Bob Dylan's fault, really. But it does mean I occasionally get to hear albums like Son Volt's first, Trace, and that makes listening to any number of the less-than-stellar albums of the genre worth it to find the masterpiece.

Son Volt is the band of former Uncle Tupelo member Jay Farrar. When Tupelo split, Farrar and Jeff Tweedy--the two creative forces behind the band--each formed new bands. Tweedy took the majority of the band from Tupelo's last album, Anodyne, and formed Wilco, while Farrar gathered some new musicians (including original Uncle Tupelo drummer Michael Heidorn and formed Son Volt.

Each band's initial outing picked up right where Anodyne left off. Wilco's AM was decent, though Tweedy clearly didn't have enough strong material on his own for a whole album yet. Son Volt released Trace, a clear stylistic follow-up to Anodyne.

Trace is an exceptionally strong collection of basic country-rock. You have strummed guitars, mournful pedal steel, songs of loss and regret and joy. There's an emotional depth to the music that's impressive; these are not all just tear-in-my-beer, woe-is-me bar tunes. There are sad songs, depressed and frustrated odes to love gone horribly awry, but there is also joy and hope. Farrar is an excellent songwriter, crafting three and a half minute sketches of the human condition in all its ups and downs. Farrar isn't trying to break down genre barriers on this record, he's simply making great music.

There's not a bad song on the album, and I never have to hit the "skip" button. That's about the highest praise I think you can give a record: every song is solid, every song is listenable. Album opener "Windfall" is a road song about the prospect of carrying on, of starting anew, of surviving to be reborn in a different place. The uplifting chorus starts with "may the wind take your troubles away," a sentiment that is reconfirmed throughout the record (even if it's not explicitly stated or couched in similar terms). There's a laid back, comfortable quality to these tracks, and you can tell Farrar not only believes in the music he's making, he's content with it.

Trace is one of the best country-rock albums out there. It's solid from start to finish, and when the disc finishes spinning, you've got the overwhelming urge to start it over from the beginning again. It doesn't get any better than that.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Son Volt, "Mystifies Me"