REISSUE: Son Volt – Trace (30th Anniversary)
When their beloved alt-country band Uncle Tupelo split, Jeff Tweedy went on to form Wilco and Jay Farrar founded Son Volt. Trace, was Son Volt’s debut album, released in 1995 and to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Rhino Records and Warner Records have reissued the album for Record Store Day Black Friday this year as a 2LP set pressed onto purple vinyl in expanded form with ten bonus tracks.
Via his Son Volt moniker, singer-songwriter Jay Farrar expanded upon his rootsy beginnings, leaning in with more traditional country and frizzled folk rock offset by some hard-charging Neil Young-like rockers. Trace was an immediate hit with fans and critics alike, and was a major influence for years to come for nearly every alt-country band that followed in Farrar’s footsteps. The album opens with the tender “Windfall” with its breezy lap steel melodies followed by the roots rock romp of “Live Free”. The aforementioned rockers – “Route” and “Drown” – stand out from the pack with their louder guitars and upbeat melodies; the latter is highlighted by a cow bell-driven groove. Another standout is “Loose String” with its effortlessly jangly guitars and catchy chorus.
The original album was remastered in 2015 in honor of its 20thanniversary and is included here on the first LP while the secondfeatures bonus tracks that are making their vinyl debut. The bonus tracks are highlighted by two slightly stripped down alternate and unreleased demo versions of “Drown” and “Route”as well as a 4-track demo version of the aching album standout, “Tear Stained Eye”. Also included is the non-album track, “Going Going Gone”, a full band Bob Dylan cover that has only previously appeared on a rare promotional CD EP titled, Switchback, which was used to promote their 1997 tour supporting their sophomore album Straighaways. Another stand out bonus track is their alt-county transformation of Big Star’s stark, piano-driven “Holocaust”, which features the harsh lyrics – “You’re a wasted face, you’re a sad-eyed lie. “You’re a holocaust” – that could certainly be interpreted as pointed at Tweedy over Uncle Tupelo’s acrimonious breakup.
Son Volt’s debut, Trace was and is a landmark album in the alt-country annals and this new expanded 30th anniversary reissue will carry on its legacy further into the future.