Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Okemah and the Melody of Riot is the fourth album by alt-country band Son Volt. It was released on October 5, 2005.
Okemah and the Melody of Riot | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Son Volt | ||||
Released | October 5, 2005 | |||
Recorded | October 12–26, 2004 | |||
Studio | St. Louis | |||
Genre | Alternative country | |||
Length | 46:20 | |||
Label | Transmit Sounds | |||
Producer | Jay Farrar | |||
Son Volt chronology | ||||
|
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[3] |
Los Angeles Times | [4] |
NME | 7/10[1] |
Pitchfork | 6.8/10[5] |
PopMatters | [6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
Slant Magazine | [8] |
Stylus Magazine | B−[9] |
Uncut | [1] |
The album has a score of 72 out of 100 from Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[1] Trouser Press gave the album a very favorable review and called it "A stunning return to form."[10] The A.V. Club gave it a favorable review and said of Jay Farrar, "Even when his overintellectualized lyrics smear into a palette of industrial gray, the guitars provide a strong human heartbeat."[11] NME gave it a score of seven out of ten and said that "Farrar has the passion to carry the songs beyond any hackneyed themes."[1] Other reviews are average or mixed: Mojo gave the album three stars out of five and said, "By focusing on the temporal, [Farrar] reduces himself to simple protest music rather than timeless folk."[1] The New York Times gave it an average review and said, "The band's underlying, stubborn seriousness, and nearly Amish unwillingness to change, creates its appeal."[12] Blender, however, gave it two stars out of five and said that Farrar had "never tried so actively to fuse prescriptive politics into [the] mix, and the move feels suspect."[1]
Track listing
All songs written by Jay Farrar.
- "Bandages & Scars" – 3:23
- "Afterglow 61" – 2:48
- "Jet Pilot" – 3:12
- "Atmosphere" – 3:50
- "Ipecac" – 3:29
- "Who" – 4:02
- "Endless War" – 4:25
- "Medication" – 5:00
- "6 String Belief" – 3:16
- "Gramophone" – 3:09
- "Chaos Streams" – 3:52
- "World Waits for You" – 4:08
- "World Waits for You (Reprise)" – 1:56
2018 Deluxe Edition
- "Exurbia"
- "Joe Citizen Blues"
- "Anacostia"
- "Afterglow 61" (Live)
- "Gramophone" (Live)
- "Ipecac" (Live)
- "Bandages & Scars" (Live)
- "Atmosphere" (Live)
- "Medication" (Live)
Personnel
- Jay Farrar - vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
- Dave Bryson - drums
- Andrew DuPlantis - bass, backing vocals
- Brad Rice - guitar
- Eric Heywood - pedal steel guitar on "World Waits for You"
- John Horton - electric slide guitar on "World Waits for You (Reprise)"
- Mark Spencer - slide guitar and slide dulcimer on "Medication"; backing vocal on "Who"; organ on "Gramophone"
References
- "Critic Reviews for Okemah And The Melody Of Riot". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
- Okemah and the Melody of Riot at AllMusic
- Pastorek, Whitney (2005-07-15). "Okemah and the Melody of Riot Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
- Hochman, Steve (2005-07-10). "Plain-spoken to a fault". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Deusner, Stephen M. (2005-07-14). "Son Volt: Okemah and the Melody of Riot". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Horan, Mark (2005-07-20). "Son Volt: Okemah and the Melody of Riot". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Hoard, Christian (2005-07-18). "Okemah And The Melody Of Riot : Son Volt : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
- Keefe, Jonathan (2005-07-11). "Son Volt: Okemah And The Melody Of Riot". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Funk, Peter (2005-07-21). "Son Volt - Okemah And The Melody of Riot - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Hage, Erik; Robbins, Ira; Reynolds, Steve. "TrouserPress.com :: Son Volt". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Murray, Noel (2005-07-27). "Son Volt: Okemah And The Melody Of Riot". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- Ratliff, Ben (2005-07-11). "Americana to Comfort Roots Rockers". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- https://artist-stores.com/products/son-volt-okemah-and-the-melody-of-riot-cd-dvd