The Search is the second release since Jay Farrar reformed Son Volt with new members back in 2004. He told , ldquo;This time around I had a lot more songs to work with mdash; there were 22 that we recorded in the studio mdash; so I think just instinctively we were going for more variety this time around. And certainly the addition of Derry deBorja on keyboards has added a different texture and sort of allowed things to move in different directions.
rdquo;
They achieved their goal, matching the emotions of the lyrics with the music accompaniment. This is evident from the album rsquo;s first track, ldquo;Slow Hearse. rdquo; It opens with a plaintive piano line and the refrain of ldquo;Feels like driving around in a slow hearse rdquo; repeated.
Joining the mix are odd studio sound effects signaling the band is going to take the listener on a magical mystery tour through the studio.
A sax and trumpet herald the next track, ldquo;The Picture, rdquo; further punctuating the band rsquo;s move away from its alt-county beginning. It rsquo;s a look at a world gone wild, ldquo;Hurricanes in December ndash; earthquakes in the heartland, rdquo; although it doesn rsquo;t seem that different from ours with the line ldquo;When war is for profit and profit is war rdquo;.
The journey may seem dark, but the destination will be worth it if mercy is found waiting.
ldquo;Underground Dream rdquo; has a big expanse of strings that augment the sound with a great melody. According to Farrar, ldquo;The lyric acknowledges living in a world of conservative cowboy ideologies.
rdquo; ldquo;Circadian Rhythm rdquo; has a great backwards guitar loop periodically running throughout. It sounds like something is stuck as it repeats, a perfect aural representation of the indecision the narrator ldquo;can rsquo;t stand anymore. rdquo;
ldquo;Adrenaline and Heresy rdquo; is a piano ballad, reminiscent of solo John Lennon, about a slow break-up, where people have ldquo;been hanging on for so long rdquo;.
The breaking point is reached and made known by brutal, gut-wrenching lines, ldquo;She said I still love you/ I don rsquo;t know if I want to spend the/ rest of my time with you. rdquo; Yet, the narrator takes it well. The drums kick in hard at the song rsquo;s close, like a march, as the refrain ldquo;High on adrenaline/ It rsquo;s a new day rdquo; is repeated.
Obviously, the narrator wasn rsquo;t surprised by the outcome and is ready to finally move on to the next adventure.
Though it rsquo;s not all wild soundscapes as half the tracks are without studio gimmickry. There are a few rock lsquo;n rsquo; roll songs, such as ldquo;Satellite, rdquo; and the music and subject matter of the last few tracks will sound familiar to fans of Farrar rsquo;s previous work.
ldquo;Methamphetamine rdquo; is led by guest musician Eric Heywood rsquo;s pedal steel guitar and presents the most straightforward story of Farrar rsquo;s lyrics. It rsquo;s a lonely, dusty tale of an addict, working the night shift somewhere, after blowing ldquo;a killer job in a backup band rdquo;. He rsquo;s ldquo;healthy now, but wonder if he rsquo;ll ldquo;ever be free rdquo; of the drug rsquo;s hold.
ldquo;Highways and Cigarettes rdquo; finds Farrar joined by Shannon McNally on the vocals. They extol the virtues of ldquo;living out these American late night blues, rdquo; following the road where it takes you. The album closes with the uplifting ldquo;Phosphate Skin rdquo; with the message that ldquo;It can only get better from here/ Don rsquo;t have any fear.
rdquo; It rsquo;s a wonderful sentiment for all.
A Deluxe Edition of The Search is available exclusively through iTunes featuring all 22 songs from the recoding sessions. For those who already own the CD, the eight extra tracks available separately.
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