Son Volt brings "Electro Melodier"
The title, taken from the names of two vintage amplifiers from the late '40s and early '50s, also describes the album's blend of folk, country, blues, soul and rock. The rocking first track "Reverie" has been released.
The disc is the follow-up to 2019's release, "Union." "I wanted to concentrate on the melodies which got me into music in the first place," said band founder Jay Farrar. "I wanted politics to take a back seat this time, but it always seems to find a way back in there."
"Livin' in the USA" echoes protest songs of old, highlighting both the breakdown of our culture and planet. "Share a little truth with your neighbor down the block, We've all got fossil fuel lungs while we run out the clock," Farrar sings. "The Globe" reverberates with the tensions that arise with the fight for equality. "People climbing skyward stairs, Deciders of their fate, You can see it everywhere, Change is in the air." "Diamonds and Cigarettes," featuring vocals by country singer Laura Cantrell.
"Electro Melodier" features band members Mark Spencer (piano, organ, acoustic slide, lap steel, backing vocals) Andrew DuPlantis (bass, backing vocals), Chris Frame (guitar) and Mark Patterson (drums, percussion).
Son Volt will be on the road with tour dates in summer and fall.
Tour dates are:
Aug. 7 - Open Highway Music Festival - St. Louis
Aug. 20 - Fitzgerald's - Berwyn, IL
Sept. 9 - George's Majestic - Fayetteville, AR
Sept. 10 - Diamondhead Music Fest - Tahlequah, OK
Sept. 11 - Knuckleheads - Kansas City, KS - MO
Sept. 18 - Ludlow Garage - Cincinnati, OH
Sept. 19 - Headliners - Louisville, KY
Sept. 23 - Visulite - Charlotte, NC
Sept. 24 - Haw River Ballroom - Saxapahaw, NC
Sept. 26 - Graceland Guest House Theater - Memphis, TN
Farrar started Son Volt in 1994 after leaving the seminal group Uncle Tupelo, whose "No Depression" album helped define the alt.-country and Americana genre. Son Volt's debut "Trace" was heavily lauded and remains a defining document of the '90s alt-country movement.
More news for Son Volt
- 09/20/21: Son Volt looks to '22 for extensive tour
- 03/29/18: Son Volt announces reissues
- 01/31/13: Son Volt goes honky tonk
- 07/07/09: Son Volt offers new CD; Jayhawks anthology drops
- 04/07/09: Son Volt returns in July
CD reviews for Son Volt
Seminal alt-country band Son Volt's ninth studio album, "Union," has a heavy political bent as the name implies. Leader Jay Farrar had set out to make a totally political statement to confront our turbulent times, but felt the album needed some balance. As a result, 8 of the 13 are in the socio-political camp while the other five deal with the power of love, time and music. Strains of the past two Son Volt albums 2013's country-flavored "Honky Tonk" and 2017's ...
Son Volt's "Notes of Blue" is said to be influenced by the blues (among other musical styles), and the blues is most at the fore during "Cherokee St.," a stomping, electric guitar-driven blues rocker. The song has the stripped-down sound of a Blind Willie Johnson sermon, although lead vocalist Jay Farrar is by no means the gravelly singer Johnson was. Still, it has that vibe. Farrar and band mates are just as effective with "The Storm," a more acoustic approach to the blues. ...
Son Volt was one of the two bands that rose from the considerable ashes of the May 1994 Uncle Tupelo breakup. While Jeff Tweedy and the current Uncle Tupelo lineup formed Wilco, his former partner, singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Jay Farrar, teamed with Uncle Tupelo founding drummer Mike Heidorn to create Son Volt. Fans knew what to expect from the formidable but volatile Tweedy/Farrar partnership, but what would come from these new efforts? Any lingering questions or doubts were answered when ...
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