Trace
by Son Volt

From buzzdainer TOP 100 COMMENTER 09/06/2016 15:13 | #174392 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

I have approached few albums in my lifetime with as much anticipation as I did this one when it was first released in 1995. At the time I was fully convinced that Jay Farrar was the real talent behind Uncle Tupelo, so when they broke up it was Farrar's work, rather than Jeff Tweedy's, that I most wanted to hear. This was Farrar's first album with Son Volt coming off the last, and greatest, Uncle Tupelo album, Anodyne. So when it came out I persuaded the woman I was seeing at the time to drive with me into Portland, Maine, to my favorite independent record store to buy it, and we listened to it in the car on the way back to Ferry Beach. I loved it immediately, of course. "Windfall" is one of those songs that, upon first listening, sounded to me like something I'd known and loved all my life, with its timeworn, world-weary wisdom: "May wind take your troubles away / Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel / May the wind take your troubles away." (Edited)

From junodog4 TOP 100 COMMENTER 01/01/2018 16:48 | #204342 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

The album where it looked like Son Volt would be the winner in the Uncle Tupelo breakup, instead of Wilco. Sadly, it was Wilco that grew and came up with new ideas, while Son Volt never successfully departed from the formula established here. Nevertheless, Trace is a winner. (Edited)

This is an extremely underrated and underappreciated album. The country and folk soundscape created is a work of genius and as a complete record it flows brilliantly. The vocal delivery is top quality as well and it is very infectious making me want to come back for more every time I finish the record. Instrumentally, the album is a joy as all the instruments work in unison to create this rich and dense atmosphere that keeps you engulfed for the full duration. However, by the end of the record the formula does get a little worn down and tired and you find yourself craving a bit of diversity. This is probably why they struggled and aren't as held in that high esteem. Overall, a fantastic album that I am glad I discovered as I feel like I will be listening to this record a lot.

As far as finding an alt. rock record with a laid-back country feel, I feel is this is the prime example of such an album. Rural shuffles like "Windfall" and "Tear Stained Eye" go nicely with 90s alt. rock cuts "Drown" and "Live Free." Jay Farrar's lyrics are simple but subtle and the musicianship is very pleasing to the ear. A nice album for a roadtrip or an outdoor adventure with some friends. All subsequent releases by Farrar and Son Volt never come close to this warm album.

From Romanelli TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/27/2011 20:40 | #31553 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

In which Jay Farrar's Son Volt soundly defeats Jeff Tweedy's Wilco for post-Uncle Tupelo alt-country supremacy.