Son Volt: ‘Okemah and the Melody of Riot’
THE CD: “Okemah and the Melody of Riot” (Transmit Sound/Legacy)
PERFORMER: Son Volt
Fact No. 1: I bought this CD.
Fact No. 2: You can’t kiss these guys off with a quick listen.
Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar has added a new chapter to the book of Unconcerned Songwriting. He obviously cares about an audience, but the songs are devoid of hooks and at times seem written for himself. Think Dylan, Mark Olsen or Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. When the process works, its great.
Take “Ipecac,” for example. Happy Hair with fashion eye/climbed up the Ivory Tower/just forgot what the game was for/just forgot what the game was for.
OK, so maybe it doesn’t matter. The song does have a great chord progression. Farrar’s introspective voice, plaintive but never whining, backed by crunchy guitars, draws the listener in, not unlike the early recordings of Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
The “Okemah” in the title refers to Woody Guthrie’s birthplace, and social and political awareness does wander through the songs, as on “Endless War”: When the morning brings news of wasted life/when video brings footage of children dying/no moral face to the endless war/no moral face to the endless war.
Or on “Jet Pilot,” where Farrar takes a poke at a famous Texan: Jet pilot for the day washed his sins away/ loves to see the rangers play/ his daddy has a job in Washington wants to raise a Harvard son.The song also references the great Gil Scott-Heron with “the revolution will be televised across living rooms of the great divide/robber baron ghettoes before us now/everybody needs a hunting pal.”
Another slower number, “Medication,” has a nice raga feel.
Repeated listening
Mind you, I am game for the repeated listening it takes (me, anyway) to ‘get’ Farrar’s essence, but one wonders if the guy couldn’t use a songwriting partner. Consider classic Lennon-McCartney (and, yeah boy, am I dating myself) — depending on who originated the song, the other would take the middle eight bars. As a result, the tone of the tune would change mid-song, then back. This is not a suggestion that Farrar move to commercial pop, just mix it up a little.
So maybe it doesn’t matter. These guys do bear repeat listening. Check with me at Christmas.
“Okemah and the Melody of Riot” also features a DVD side, with the album in enhanced stereo, and a documentary, “Break Through the Lens,” plus live versions of three of the tunes, and one, “Joe Citizen Blues,” not found on the CD. Good recording from a fine band, and worth the $18.
– By Paul Gartner
NOTE: Son Volt comes to “Mountain Stage” for an Oct. 2 show in Athens, Ohio, along with Charlie Sexton, Eric Bibb, Over the Rhine and Adrienne Young and Little Sadie. Tickets only by calling 740-593-1780 or at box office.
