Trace (Son Volt album)

Last updated

Trace
Son Volt-Trace (album cover).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1995 (1995-09-19)
RecordedNovember–December 1994
StudioSalmagundi, Northfield, MN
Genre Alternative country
Length42:07
Label Warner Bros.
Producer
Son Volt chronology
Trace
(1995)
Straightaways
(1997)
Singles from Trace
  1. "Windfall"
    Released: September 4, 1995 [1]
  2. "Drown"
    Released: October 31, 1995 [2]
  3. "Loose String"
    Released: December 1995
  4. "Route"
    Released: June 1996

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.

Contents

Trace was a critical and commercial success, and peaked at number 166 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. The album's second single, "Drown", was a radio hit, and charted at number 10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart (and was their only single to make either chart). [3] By 2009, Trace had sold 297,000 copies in the United States, and outsold Wilco's A.M. , released six months before, two-to-one. [4] [5] [6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
Entertainment Weekly A [8]
Houston Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME 8/10 [11]
Paste 9.5/10 [12]
PopMatters 9/10 [13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Uncut 9/10 [15]
The Village Voice C+ [16]

Trace received critical acclaim. According to AllMusic, "Throughout Son Volt's debut, Trace, the group reworks classic honky tonk and rock & roll, adding a desperate, determined edge to their performances. Even when they rock out, there is a palpable sense of melancholy to Farrar's voice, which lends a poignancy to the music." AmericanaUK calls Trace, "A graceful masterpiece, a positive turning of the page for Farrar, and a gentle reminder of the power and long-lasting influence of Uncle Tupelo." [17]

The Village Voice placed Trace at number 13 on the 1995 Pazz & Jop critics poll, [18] whilst the album placed ninth on Rolling Stone 's 1995 critics' list. [19] In 2016, Paste ranked Trace fourth on its list of "The 50 Best Alt-Country Albums of All Time". [20]

Track listing

All songs written by Farrar except "Mystifies Me", written by Ronnie Wood.

  1. "Windfall" – 2:58
  2. "Live Free" – 3:13
  3. "Tear Stained Eye" – 4:21
  4. "Route" – 3:57
  5. "Ten Second News" – 3:57
  6. "Drown" – 3:20
  7. "Loose String" – 3:48
  8. "Out of the Picture" – 3:50
  9. "Catching On" – 4:02
  10. "Too Early" – 4:29
  11. "Mystifies Me" – 4:12

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1995–1996)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [3] 166
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [3] 7

References

  1. Borzillo, Carrie (September 16, 1995). "Uncle's Offspring | Popular Uprisings". Billboard . Vol. 107, no. 37. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 21.
  2. Anon. (October 20, 1995). "Son Volt Hopes to Rise" (PDF). R&R (1117): 30. ISSN   0277-4860 via worldradiohistory.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Anon. "Son Volt Chart History". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. Ayers, Michael D. (August 13, 2009). "Death Cab's Ben Gibbard, Jay Farrar Team Up For Kerouac Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  5. "Charting Wilco's Course". Billboard. April 21, 2007. p. 22. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  6. Fricke, David (March 20, 1997). "Not Just a Country Rock Band". Rolling Stone .
  7. Deming, Mark. "Trace – Son Volt". AllMusic . Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  8. Woodard, Josef (November 10, 1995). "Trace". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  9. Wolff, Kurt (October 8, 1995). "Moody Son Volt Soars on 'Trace'". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  10. Tamarkin, Jeff (February 2016). "Son Volt: Trace". Mojo . No. 267. p. 106.
  11. "Son Volt: Trace". NME . December 9, 1995. p. 38.
  12. Danton, Eric R. (November 2, 2015). "Son Volt: Trace 20th Anniversary Edition Review". Paste . Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  13. Beaudoin, Jedd (November 11, 2015). "Son Volt: Trace". PopMatters . Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  14. Kot, Greg (2004). "Son Volt". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p.  759. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  15. Torn, Luke (December 2015). "Son Volt: Trace". Uncut . No. 223. p. 95.
  16. Christgau, Robert (February 20, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  17. Newby, Tim. "Classic Americana Albums: Son Volt "Trace" (Warner Bros, 1995)". AmericanaUK. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  18. "The 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice . Last accessed July 9, 2007.
  19. Anon. (January 25, 1996). "Critics' poll 1996". Rolling Stone . No. 726. pp. 40–51. ISSN   0035-791X. ProQuest   220156689.
  20. Jackson, Josh (August 4, 2016). "The 50 Best Alt-Country Albums of All Time". Paste . Retrieved April 6, 2023.