Son Volt

Fueled by singer/songwriter Jay Farrar’s unmistakable drawl and reflective lyricism, Son Volt are essential to the foundations of alt-country. Formed in 1994 out of the ashes of Farrar’s band with Jeff Tweedy, Uncle Tupelo, the Illinois group released their debut album, Trace, the following year. Trace mixed thoughtful, laidback folk (“Windfall”) with crunching, Crazy Horse-indebted Americana (“Drown”), earning the band immediate critical acclaim. After mining a similar sonic vein with Straightaways (1997) and Wide Swing Tremolo (1998), Farrar put Son Volt on the backburner to release some solo work. In 2005, Okemah and the Melody of Riot—a record inspired by 20th-century protest songs—signaled the band’s return. Son Volt have kept a pretty even clip since, delivering more traditional country fare (2009’s American Central Dust), meditations on the state of America (2019’s Union), and spirited roots rock (2021’s Electro Melodier).