Terroir Blues

On his 2001 solo debut, Sebastopol, and the follow-up EP, ThirdShiftGrottoSlack, Jay Farrar deployed a raft of new collaborators and unexpected musical ideas to fuel his departure from Son Volt. With Terroir Blues, he recycles some of those adventurous strategies while returning to a more conventional band- and song-oriented approach. The result is a disc that's complex and rewarding yet also feels familiar. Atop mostly low-key acoustic arrangements that emphasize piano and steel guitar, Farrar's usual densely written lyrics grapple with the impermanence of life ("Dent County"), love ("Hanging On to You"), and even civilization itself ("Cahokian"). Terroir Blues is also Farrar's first self-released album (Act/Resist Records), a fact that affords him a freedom reflected in the generous track list and experimentation. The disc boasts 23 cuts, including six noise snippets, two instrumental tunes, and reprises of four songs. --Anders Smith Lindall