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Son Volt - The Search


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it's certainly worth picking up, it's by far the best Farrar record since Trace.

IMO

I agree with the first part of that, disagree with the second, and bring it on home by agreeing that it is, in fact, your opinion. :cheers

 

Good album - I'd probably place it fourth among Son Volt albums, but it's definitely solid.

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It's a good album no doubt but a masterpiece it is not. Honestly I don't really think it sounds like SV, it's a little light on guitar playing compared to most SV albums. However it falls right in line with Jay's solo stuff, not quite as strong as Sebastopol IMO. If I have a complaint it's the opening track, that's a head scratcher. Actually the omission of Slow Hearse and Action would have made the flow much better, IMO of course.

 

Jay if you're reading this, please fix your running order.

Kisses...

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After 2 spins, I'm really liking it. I won't try ranking it. As far as the "huge departure" that it seems to be marketed as, I don't see it. Several of these songs seem like they could have been on "Wide Swing Tremelo". Looking forward to seeing these guys in a month. :dancing

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this disc is a masterpiece!!!!! i really think everyone here would enjoy it.

 

jay farrar's best work, period. yes that includes uncle tupelo and trace. :thumbup

That's just crazy talk.

 

But I do like 'methamphetamine' more than just about anything he's done since Straightaways.

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It's a good album no doubt but a masterpiece it is not. Honestly I don't really think it sounds like SV, it's a little light on guitar playing compared to most SV albums. However it falls right in line with Jay's solo stuff, not quite as strong as Sebastopol IMO. If I have a complaint it's the opening track, that's a head scratcher. Actually the omission of Slow Hearse and Action would have made the flow much better, IMO of course.

 

Jay if you're reading this, please fix your running order.

Kisses...

 

I agree. It's not very "son volt" sounding, but it's still good. It does seem more in line with Farrar's solo work but it's nice hearing the horns all the same.

 

You can also pick up the ep at the indie stores as well. They had a whole stack of them yesterday at the store.

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After first listen and seeing everyone's comments on here so far, I find the disc totally underwhelming. I expect it's probably a grower and will take a few weeks to sink in which is cool with me. At least, I hope it's a grower because Okemah found it's way out of my CD player after about a week and hasn't made its return yet. Decent at first, no lasting effect...much like most of Farrar's work since Trace.

 

In any case, this is probably the last Farrar work I buy without hearing a significant portion prior to purchase.

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If anyone is interested, today is Son Volt day on WFUV in nyc. They stream online at www.wfuv.org. Its a pretty cool radio station out of Fordham university. Its actually where I first heard wilco (jesus, etc.) for the record and I think they had jeff tweedy on around the time that Kicking TV came out.

 

Anway, they play a couple of son volt tunes at the top of every hour, and I think son volt is in the studio at 9pm tonight. I think they are also playing an old son volt interview at some other point in the day.

 

EDIT: Just checked the website -- Jay is in the studio to discuss The Search at 4:45. At 9pm, they are playing an interview from back when Okemah came out. Then, some random tunes throughout the day.

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those of you that got the ep, is there anything worth hearing on it?

 

how many songs does it have?

 

there are 2 ep's floating out there. if you get the disc at best buy you get alternate versions of the picture (without horns) and highways and cigarettes (acoustic). the third song is circadian rhythm live at acl fest.

 

i can see why some would try to shoot down my earlier reviews, but if i just thought it was good i would have said that. the first time i heard okemah i was like ehhhh. the first time i heard yhf i said it was a masterpiece. not comparing the two i just love the recording and really think it is some of the best stuff i have heard. just my take

 

sorry i fired back at you matt.

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What's that thing the guy in your avatar has in his mouth???

 

LouieB

 

 

That's John Coltrane man...so it's either a drug pipe or an instrument! :P

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That's John Coltrane man...so it's either a drug pipe or an instrument! :P

it almost looks like a soprano sax...

 

anyway, the son volt record--- i've probably listened to it 5 times since tuesday, and i love a couple of songs, i even dig the horns, but it's kinda be like "eh, ok". maybe i'm too hooked on the new arcade fire and this m. ward stuff i got... i'm definately giving this record time, because i'm sure it's good, i guess i've not had time to digest it... i really don't think it's a return to the trace days, because the band sounds different. it's good, but i always wonder what they might sound like had the original line-up been reformed.

 

i really like the keys though, it's a nice touch.

can't wait to see them downtown in May! :rock

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For you oinkers, the two EPs bonus discs have been uploaded, both in FLAC and 320 kbps MP3.

 

Info:

 

Best Buy bonus disc:

 

01 - The Picture (Recording Session No Horns)

02 - Highways & Cigarettes (Recording Session Acoustic)

03 - Circadian Rhythm (Live @ ACL Festival 2006)

 

 

Coalition of Independent Music Stores bonus disc:

 

01 - Underground Dream (Live Acoustic)

02 - Highways & Cigarettes (Demo)

03 - Bandages & Scars ( Live @ Bonnaroo 2006)

 

I can't vouch for them because I haven't downloaded them yet, but I'm firing up the ol' BT client now to do so.

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After several more listens, I still don't see what most of you are raving about with this album. It sounds like an extension of Farrar's two "solo" discs which are albums I haven't listened to in months, if not years (Sebastopol, pretty good; Terroir, awful). I'm also getting quite tired of the politcal-related lyrics Farrar keeps turning to. They do nothing for me. I'm not saying all political songs are bad, but consistently turning to them is leading to the feeling that I've heard it all before.

 

I thought that after the last "Son Volt" record (sorry, the Boquists + Heidorn + Farrar are still the real Son Volt) Farrar may be working his way back into my heart after several extremely sub-par efforts, but it still remains that all of his best work was done in the '90s.

 

This is probably the last Farrar-led work I buy unfortunately.

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After several more listens, I still don't see what most of you are raving about with this album. It sounds like an extension of Farrar's two "solo" discs which are albums I haven't listened to in months, if not years (Sebastopol, pretty good; Terroir, awful). I'm also getting quite tired of the politcal-related lyrics Farrar keeps turning to. They do nothing for me. I'm not saying all political songs are bad, but consistently turning to them is leading to the feeling that I've heard it all before.

 

I thought that after the last "Son Volt" record (sorry, the Boquists + Heidorn + Farrar are still the real Son Volt) Farrar may be working his way back into my heart after several extremely sub-par efforts, but it still remains that all of his best work was done in the '90s.

 

This is probably the last Farrar-led work I buy unfortunately.

 

Different strokes I guess. I count "Okemah" as my favorite Son Volt-Farrar related release period, and this one is a strong second. Than again, "Trace" has always bored me so what do I know....

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Different strokes I guess. I count "Okemah" as my favorite Son Volt-Farrar related release period, and this one is a strong second. Than again, "Trace" has always bored me so what do I know....

 

I'm with you...with the exception of the "Trace" comment. I don't listen to "Trace" as much as I used to but it is an absolute classic.

 

However, Sculzunfied, I don't see too many "raving" about "The Search" either. I'd like to see more rave reviews about it. I think it deserves better promotion than Jay has been getting as of late. As far as the comparisons to the Jay solo stuff, I don't completely disagree. My opinion is that both of the Jay solo releases are great albums that were in strong need of a 3rd party editor. "Heart on the Ground", "Dent County" are right up there with anything off of "Trace".

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