| Jay Farrar |
Alternative Folk
Having made his mark as an alt-country mover-and-shaker in the '90s with Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, Jay Farrar takes the road less twangier on his solo debut. Collaborating with members of Superchunk (Jon Wurster) and the Flaming Lips (Steven Drodz), Farrar sounds like labelmates Varnaline as he strikes a laid-back balance between sturdy, acoustic Neil Young-flavored ruminations ("Drain") and sweeping dream-pop dotted with synths and fuzz-guitar ("Clear Day Thunder"). With his rich, reedy vocals and just the slightest hint of a drawl, this insurgent country stalwart achieves plenty of other transcendent moments including the jangly mid-tempo pop of "Direction," the chugging earnestness of "Voodoo Candle," and the sassy strut of "Damn Shame." Farrar's collaboration with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on the high-lonesome waltz "Barstow" is the one instance that finds him staying in touch with his roots. The limited-edition version features three bonus cuts: the sitar-soaked nugget of optimism "Make It Alright" and the instrumentals "Equilibrium" and "Fortissimo Wah." In pushing the boundaries with Latin Playboys-flavored instrumentals ("Prelude (Make It Alright)") and cryptic songs dotted with dark melodies ("Feed Kill Chain"), Jay Farrar reveals himself to be significantly more complex than the No Depression movement he helped nurture. Dave Gil de Rubio
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