Old 97's - Satellite Rides
Satellite Rides finds the Old 97's straying even further from their country roots than on 1999's Fight Songs, which despite what some purists may argue, is not necessarily a bad thing. The endlessly energetic Dallas quartet has evolved into a damn fine pop band, at times echoing such '60s pop luminaries as the Kinks and the Byrds. Charismatic vocalist Rhett Miller never seems to be at a loss for clever couplets (see "Rollerskate Skinny"), while bassist and occasional frontman Murry Hammond unleashes his strongest songwriting contributions to date ("Up The Devil's Pay", "Can't Get A Line"). Boasting playfully flirtatious lyrics and melodies, tracks such as "King Of All The World," "Buick City Complex" and "Book Of Poems" will have listeners mesmerized, while "Weightless," "Question" and "Designs On You" ache with a sincerity that will forever endear the Old 97's to their fans. If you're already a fan, you don't need to read this to know this album is worth buying. If you have yet to be captivated by the Old 97's, than one listen to Satellite Rides should do the trick.
Brilliant...The Old 97's are back
Fight Songs was a bit of a misstep for these guys. They tuned down the twang and turned up the pop, but that really wasn't the problem for me. After all, Wilco's Summerteeth succeeded brilliantly in doing the exact same thing. The songs just sounded too tame, too flat on Fight Songs (though they improved a lot live). Satellite Rides keeps the pop influence that dominated Fight Songs, mixes in the volume and some of the twang of Too Far to Care, and turns out to be one of the best discs I've heard in a long time. In fact, I haven't been this excited about an album since, well, Too Far to Care. There is something to recommend about each and every song on this disc, but my personal early favorites are "Rollerskate Skinny", "Buick City Complex", "Designs on You" and "Book of Poems". And it's hard to believe that Murray came up with "Can't Get a Line", which would be a perfect single. As for "Am I Too Late", this song could have fit easily on Wreck Your Life or Hitchhike to Rhome and is the most "country" sounding thing on the disc.As for the bonus disc... it's got great live sound and the guys perform the songs well. Unfortunately, it was recorded for a radio station and it sounds like only about 20 people were present for the taping. There's just not as much energy as you would normally get hearing these tunes live. Still a great bonus to an already great cd though. Plus, you get a studio version of "Singular Girl", which deserves to be a single in its own right.
The Old 97's are one of the best bands working today, and this may be their most complete and strongest album to date. (TFTC still provides some really heavy competition for this title though). In the words of another reviewer, Buy this, these guys deserve your money.
Great!
All there stuff is great. This CD gets better and better each time you listen to it. I like their older stuff a lot, especially 'Wreck Your Life'.
Where were these guys hiding?
Damn, why didn't someone tell me about these guys before?! I only heard of them through Amazon's automatic recommendation thingy. I've been a fan of the Jayhawks, Wilco, Patty Griffin, BoDeans, etc. for years, and have suffered through Ryan Adams -- what a disappointment! Completely overrated. Anyhow, Old 97's are my new favorites. This album is great fun. It combines country twang with catchy, original melodies and VERY smart, but simple lyrics. Miller's voice is perfect for this style. The "Do you wanna mess around" line in "Buick City Complex" is both endearing and sexual -- innocent but eager. This is my favorite song. "Designs on You" also has some great lyrics. I could go on and on, but I need to check out their other albums now. As I said, I had no idea these guys existed...on one hand, I'm bummed I didn't find them earlier, but finding them now has come at the perfect time. I was beginning to think I would run out of new favorites! BUY THIS ALBUM AND ENJOY!
The record company won
I came on board with Too Far To Care (an unheralded classic mix that defies the simplistic country/punk/metal/pop genres). It was by far their best album. I liked Fight Songs a hell of a lot. It had lost some of the edge/sting of Too Far but it was still damn good.
I hate to say it but Satellite Rides feels like some record company exec kept telling the band what would sell and blanded the hell out of them. The beats and chords are simple and predictable. And I never thought I would say that about the 97's.
As with Fight Songs, the 1999 predecessor to Satellite Rides, the Old 97's are ringing a poppy bell. The cover art has a retro 1960s vibe, and the chiming guitars echo that sentiment. Is it 1960s Britpop? A tad, but singer Rhett Miller has a vocal palette that runs from 1980s new wave-leaning alternative to a more scouring, acidic country yowl. He uses his range well. The twang here is more subtle than in the past, cloaked in big rave-up melodies (like the fine single "King of All the World") and heart-on-the-sleeve emotions (as on "Question"). Some of the latter are great, particularly the poppy "Do you wanna mess around" refrain in "Buick City Complex." Miller runs down a seriously twangin' gem on "Am I Too Late," and bassist Murry Hammond does the same on his brooding "Up the Devil's Pay," which ranks as one of the CD's highest marks. What the Old 97's have done with this session is push themselves further away from their original alt-country heartbeat--much the way Jeff Tweedy did after Uncle Tupelo once he had Wilco as his platform. --Andrew Bartlett
