Storied Ghosts to Share

While Jay Farrar will forever be primarily known for Son Volt, his brief solo career has been interesting in its own right.

Son Volt's third album, Wide Swing Tremelo, tacked a course away from the alt-country of their first two efforts. Farrar then put the band on hiatus and released Sebasotol, his first solo effort, in 2001. While "Barstow" from that album mines the same alt-country vein as early Son Volt, the album is notable for the prevalence of keyboards and a sound that hearkens back to late-60s rock. To my ears, anyway.

2003 brought his second solo album, Terroir Blues. Acoustic guitar plays a larger role here as the songs are often sparser while Farrar hits a sombre tone through most of the album. Every couple of songs he throws us for a loop with a piece of "Space Junk", which are short, psychedelic bits featuring instruments played backwards that reek of the Woodstock era. Whether or not these little interludes do anything for you, there is plenty of classic Farrar on this album. My favorite is probably "Out On the Road".

I find it to be a plaintive song, with its delicate guitar strumming that seems to struggle to keep the melody afloat. Lew Winer III adds some gorgeous flute on top which challenges Farrar's singing to keep up. I've always thought the song was simply about life and moving forward in the face of adversity. ("You're gonna find pain when you're out on the road") Perhaps this is because Terroir Blues was released shortly after my father's death. It has that same fragile sadness makes "Tear Stained Eye" so poignant. Just achingly beautiful.

There's also an alternate version featuring cello that I prefer. I adore how the cello fills in the sound without being obtrusive. It adds some low end and a nice droning quality to counterpoint the rickety guitar and fluttering flute. A little something extra but it never makes things too busy or distracts you from wistful feel. Check it out if you can find it.