Whiskeytown - Faithless Street
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Free Music Notes for Faithless Street
Free Music Review: Amazing
Hit: 5 Stars
Ryan Adams has done it again. I really don't think comparisons to Uncle Tupelo are valid, but Adams is definitely in Jay Farrar's league as a songwriter. "Factory Girl" by itself makes this album my pick for the best release of 1998.Free Music Review: Grievous Angel Alive and Kicking
Hit: 5 Stars
The Byrd's Untitled. Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. Gram Parson's Grievous Angel. The Replacements' Tim and Pleased to Meet Me. Joe Ely, Joe Henry, and yer Uncle Tupelo. Whiskeytown's Faithless Street. Got it? Get it.Free Music Review: One of the best albums ever made
Hit: 5 Stars
I have a huge collection of Americana, alt.country, etc. and this CD is
in the pantheon. It's just a wonderful, wonderful CD. Ryan Adams and Co.
are fantastic here.
Free Music Review: A Conversation in Washington Square Park
Hit: 4 Stars
Wait a second, I know that guy. "How's it going?" I shout to Mr. Ultra-Hip Soul Patch walking towards me across Washington Square Park.In response, I receive a slight nod from Mr. UHSP who's on his way to one of the hip-est clubs in the Village. After breezing by me, he unexpectedly turns around and asks, "How's your investigation of alt-country going these days? What bands are you into?" I think I see a slight sneer creep across his face - you know the sort of sneer that implies "that whole alt-country scene was so 1990s."
"Lately, I've been listening to the Bottle Rockets and Whiskeytown."
"Old stuff - cool", he says before muttering under his breath, "I'm not surprised. The Brooklyn Side was hip in an ironic way in like 1994."
"They are both great bands. Too bad Ryan Adams had to go solo."
"Oh, you think Caitlin Cary is integral to Adams being successful?"
"Yes, she's a great harmony vocalist, though I'm not crazy about when she tries to carry a tune herself like on `Matrimony'".
"I see. So you're a misogynist. Women should know their place and all that."
"I didn't say that. It's just I'd rather hear Ryan Adams singing lead vocals and Caitlin Cary chiming in with harmony vocals like on `Too Drunk To Dream' and `Faithless Street'."
"Hmm, whatever. Sorry to keep this short, but I've got to run. I'm catching up with Fab and Karen O down at Bleeker Seven."
Okay, so Mr. UHSP is a little full of himself. He's hip to all the latest scenes and doesn't have time for people who aren't on the right guestlists. Accept him for who he is and you'll get along with him okay.
Too bad Whiskeytown is too late 90s for him. Whiskeytown created three albums and all of them are still worth listening to here in the new millennium. Strangers Almanac is their masterpiece and Pneumonia is their experimental album. That just leaves Faithless Street, their debut slice of country spiked with punk attitude. Faithless Street is where Ryan Adams first unleashed his formidable writing chops on a generally indifferent world. If you don't believe the guy is gifted, just check out "Drank Like a River" or "What May Seem Like Love". Give this album a chance and you might just start thinking "brown-bagging it tonight behind some tavern" sounds like sort of a cool way to spend a Monday night. There's a ragged charm to Faithless Street that doesn't appear on Whiskeytown's future efforts. Whether it is the foot-stomping country rave-up "Hard Luck Story" or rocking Replacements-esque "Revenge" that does it to you, you'll have a smile on your face by the time Faithless Street is through. Still, at times you'll wish the band had taken a little more time to develop some of the songs. For example, "Midway Park" features catchy verses but flattens out into one of the least imaginative choruses I've heard in some time and "Empty Baseball Park" is simply execrable from start to finish.
If you are just dabbling in alt-country, Strangers Almanac is the album to get, but if you are serious about "the movement" you'll need to have all three Whiskeytown albums in your collection. Mr. UHSP probably has all three himself, though you'd have a heck of a time getting him to admit it now that he's into Interpol and the Detroit Cobras.
Free Music Review: A pleasant little surprise
Hit: 4 Stars
My wife and I discovered this cd under the seat of a rental car in Albequerqe, NM in the summer of 1999. Not being country/western fans we had no idea who or what it was. But out of curiosity we played it in the car as we traveled around and took it with us when we left. Some poor soul's loss was our gain. At first to our unaccustomed ears, it all sounded like the usual country rock stuff. But after repeated listenings over time there are a good number of songs on this cd that stand out for us that we enjoy listening to. I put about 6 on a western mix cd I created that included The Refreshments and Roger Clyne (who are more to my personal taste). Since this is not the usual music I listen to and I can only listen to about 10 songs before they start to sound repetitive and I have to listen to something else, my rating would be between 3 and 4 stars. Clearly those more into this genre may appreciate it much more than the casual listener like me. I do appreciate about half the songs on this cd but some I just can't get into as my heart belongs to rock and roll!