Son Volt: The Search

Singer-guitarist Jay Farrar caused a minor stir in 2004 when he revived Son Volt—without its original members—after a five-year layoff. "Minor" for a couple of reasons: Son Volt's 1998 album, Wide Swing Tremolo, disappointed fans, whose allegiance atrophied in subsequent years, and Son Volt 2.0's record, Okemah And The Melody Of Riot, still sounded like Son Volt. That's because Farrar is Son Volt, no matter who surrounds him. He keeps Okemah's players for The Search and adds keyboardist Derry deBorja, whose playing is a real asset in songs like "Methamphetamine," "Underground Dream," "Satellite," and "Adrenaline And Heresy." Only his piano and Farrar's voice drive two-thirds of "Heresy"; the rest of the band joins later, with drummer Dave Bryson providing extra drama via a martial beat. The Search has that drama in spades; a weary skepticism and resignation permeates each song, beginning with the opener, "Slow Hearse," where Farrar simply repeats, "feels like driving around in a slow hearse."