| American Central Dust | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 7, 2009 | |||
| Studio | St. Louis, MO Tape Kitchen, Brooklyn, NY | |||
| Genre | Americana, alternative country | |||
| Length | 44:04 | |||
| Label | Rounder | |||
| Son Volt chronology | ||||
| ||||
American Central Dust is the sixth studio album by the band Son Volt. It was released July 7, 2009.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.6/10 [1] |
| Metacritic | 63/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The A.V. Club | B+ [4] |
| Chicago Tribune | [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− [6] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [7] |
| Pitchfork | 3.7/10 [8] |
| PopMatters |   [9] |
| Slant Magazine | [10] |
| Spin | 7/10 [2] [11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
The album has a score of 63 out of 100 from Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [2]
Mojo gave the album four stars out of five and said, "There's a back-to-basics feel on the mid-tempo country rockers, the slow beauties and mournful lap steel, and even on the musically warm, more upbeat, almost Tex-Mex opening song." [2]
The Boston Globe gave the album a favorable review and said, "As usual, singer and songwriter Jay Farrar has a few things on his mind, and his lyrics have grown more plain-spoken and potent with time." [13]
The Phoenix gave it three stars out of four and said, "There's an easiness and directness to these tunes that was missing the last couple of times out, aided by Joe Henry and Ryan Freeland's no-nonsense mix but owing mainly to Farrar's vivid songwriting." [14]
Filter gave the album 72% (though the magazine mislabeled it as "Central American Dust") and said it "settles for regrettably generic high-plains fiddle and wistful sighs of pedel-steel guitar. [...] Fortunately, the lyrics are eminently quotable." [15]
The New York Times gave it a positive review and said it was "all a clear throwback, but the starkly countrified vibe underscores the plaintive cast of Mr. Farrar’s lyrics." [16]
Paste gave it 6.1 out of ten and said that while the album "falls short of 'Trace's' heights, the album showcases Farrar's excellent songwriting, which is comfortingly familiar. It’s also a little monotonous." [17]
Other scores are average, mixed or negative:
The Austin Chronicle gave the album three stars out of five and called it "seldom uplifting" and that it "still reaffirms Son Volt's pinnacle atop today's American roots rockers." [18]
Billboard gave it a score of 56 out of 100 and said that the band "may be playing it too safe on American Central Dust, but the songs are still woven together with a feeling of comfort and familiarity." [19]
Under the Radar gave it five stars out of ten and said, "'Dust And (sic) Daylight' showcases Mark Spencer's beautiful pedal steel, while 'Dynamite,' with its doleful accordion, recalls early Springsteen." [2]
Alternative Press gave the album two stars out of five and said that listening to it "ultimately feels a bit too much like working on an assembly line." [20]
Now also gave it two stars out of five and said of Farrar, "The 12 songs verge on inert, and singing is beginning to sound like a painful act for him. His lyrics, however, are inspired." [21]
Los Angeles Times gave it one-and-a-half stars out of four and said, "The album's sound is raw, but "raw," even in the Americana circles that Son Volt travels in, doesn't always equate with primal power. Sometimes it's just undercooked." [7]
All tracks by Jay Farrar
Son Volt is an American rock band formed in 1994 by Jay Farrar after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band's current line-up consists of Farrar, Andrew DuPlantis, John Horton (guitar), Mark Patterson (drums), and Mark Spencer. In addition to playing alternative rock, the band is considered a staple of the alternative country rock movement of the 1990s. The band's sound also is rooted in folk rock and Americana. The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, before reforming in 2004.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on April 23, 2002. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, were marred by conflicts including a switch in drummers and disagreements among the band members and engineers about songs. Despite this, the album would be mostly completed in early 2001. The album showcased a more atmospheric and experimental sound than the band's previous work, and has been described as art rock and indie rock by music critics. It was the band's first album with drummer Glenn Kotche, and last with multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jay Bennett.
Jeffrey Scot Tweedy is an American musician, singer songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, began his music career in high school with his band The Plebes along with Jay Farrar, also in the band. It became the alternative country band Uncle Tupelo.
Mermaid Avenue is a 1998 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco. The project was the first of several such projects organized by Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie, original director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and archives. Mermaid Avenue was released on the Elektra Records label on June 23, 1998. A second volume of recordings, Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, followed in 2000 and both were collected in a box set alongside volume three in 2012 as Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions. The projects are named after the song "Mermaid's Avenue", written by Guthrie. This was also the name of the street in Coney Island, New York, on which Guthrie lived. According to American Songwriter Magazine, "The Mermaid Avenue project is essential for showing that Woody Guthrie could illuminate what was going on inside of him as well as he could detail the plight of his fellow man". It was voted number 939 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).
Blackout is the fourth studio album by Dropkick Murphys, released in 2003. A music video for "Walk Away", the album's first official single, was also released. The song went on to become a minor radio hit and received some minor airplay on MTV. "Fields of Athenry" was also released as a single. The album was released with a DVD, which contained live videos for "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "Boys on the Docks", a music video for "Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight", and a trailer for their then upcoming untitled full-length DVD, which became On the Road With the Dropkick Murphys and was released the following year in March 2004.
Being There is the second studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on October 29, 1996, by Reprise Records. Despite its release as a double album, Being There was sold at a single album price as a result of a deal between lead singer Jeff Tweedy and the band's label Reprise Records. Compared to their debut album A.M. (1995), the album was an improvement for the band in both sales and critical reception. Taking its name from the 1979 film of the same name, the self-produced album featured more surrealistic and introspective writing than on A.M. This was due in part to several significant changes in Tweedy's life, including the birth of his first child. Musically, it juxtaposed the alternative country styles songs reminiscent of Uncle Tupelo with psychedelic, surreal songs. It was the only Wilco album with steel guitarist Bob Egan, their first with multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett and their last with multi-instrumentalist Max Johnston.
A.M. is the debut studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on March 28, 1995, by Sire Records and Reprise Records. The album was released only months after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, an alternative country band that was the predecessor of Wilco. Prior to its release, there was debate about whether the album would be better than the debut album of Son Volt, the new band of former Uncle Tupelo lead singer Jay Farrar.
Trace is the debut studio album by American rock band Son Volt, released on September 19, 1995, through Warner Bros. Records. The band was formed the previous year by Jay Farrar after the breakup of the influential alt-country band Uncle Tupelo. Prior to its release, there was debate about whether Son Volt or Wilco, Uncle Tupelo's other offshoot, would produce a better album.
Straightaways is the second release of the band Son Volt. It was released on April 22, 1997.
Wide Swing Tremolo is the third studio album by alternative country band Son Volt. It was released in 1998 on Warner Bros. Records.
Sky Blue Sky is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on May 15, 2007 by Nonesuch Records. Originally announced on January 17, 2007 at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was the band's first studio album with guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Before its release, the band streamed the entire album on its official website and offered a free download of "What Light".
The Search is the fifth studio album by the band Son Volt. It was released March 6, 2007.
Okemah and the Melody of Riot is the fourth album by alt-country band Son Volt. It was released on October 5, 2005.
Wilco (The Album) is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on June 30, 2009, by Nonesuch Records. Prior to release, Wilco streamed the album on their website. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
New Multitudes is a Woody Guthrie tribute album performed by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Jim James to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Guthrie's birth, released through Rounder Records on February 28, 2012. The project was initiated by Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie to have Farrar add music to her father's lyrics—specifically, his earliest songwriting years in Los Angeles. Over the course of several years, he invited the others to collaborate and recorded at a variety of locations across the United States. Each artist wrote music to lyrics that inspired him and presented it to the collaborators for recording. The result is an album with diverse musical genres that has garnered positive reviews from critics for its varied styles and instrumentation. The quartet promoted the album with a small promotional tour that took them to record stores, radio programs, theaters, and folk festivals. The group has plans for releasing a second volume.
Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions is a 2012 box set of albums by Billy Bragg & Wilco, all of which feature songs consisting of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie set to newly created music. It was released by Nonesuch Records on Record Store Day to commemorate Guthrie's 100th birthday.
Honky Tonk is the seventh studio album by the band Son Volt. It was released March 5, 2013.
Notes of Blue in an album by the band Son Volt. It was released February 17, 2017.
Union is a 2019 studio album by American alternative country band Son Volt.
Electro Melodier is a 2021 studio album by American alternative country band Son Volt. The album has received positive reviews from critics.
