Jay Farrar
ThirdShiftGrottoSlack

(Artemis)

St. Louis songwriter Jay Farrar, once the linchpin of alt-country legends Uncle Tupelo, and later guitarist and lead singer for Son Volt, has recently stepped out on his own, releasing last year’s Sebastopol, now augmented by ThirdShiftGrottoSlack (the title is a reference to the fact that the songs were recorded late at night, in a “cave-like” studio, and various alternate tunings were used to create the sound of the record). The record features a remix of one song appearing on Sebastopol, as well as four other songs recorded during those sessions.

Ostensibly an opportunity for Farrar to work with producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, R.L. Burnside), it’s also a chance to hear some of the outtakes from Sebastopol, a record which nobody seemed to notice in the first place.

Rothrock brings forward the drums on “Damn Shame (Memphis Mix)”, and in doing so, introduces us to a much bouncier, if not funky Farrar. Elsewhere, Farrar rocks out on “Dues”, where we hear a guitar solo calling to mind the early Son Volt work. “Station to Station” features a beautiful melody, grounded by piano.

It’s been four years since Son Volt’s Wide Swing Tremolo, an album that was virtually ignored, if not dismissed, mainly due to the perception that it was more of the same. While it’s true that Farrar has stuck to a formula of sorts, he certainly does it well, and for Farrar completists, it’s a joy to know that he can churn out songs like this, once deemed not worthy of inclusion on record.

One wonders if a tighter release such as this one may have been wiser than releasing the sprawling, 17-track Sebastopol. While that record was solid throughout, and contained a number of outstanding moments (e.g. “Outside the Door”), it was tough for the casual fan to ferret them out. Here, the winning moments are tough to miss.

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