Album: Electro Melodier
Year: 2021
. . .
And so it went: Son Volt would release an album every few years — The Search in 2007; American Central Dust in 2009; Honky Tonk in 2013; Notes of Blue in 2017; Union in 2019 — to an ever-dwindling audience. How dwindling, you might ask? And I can only respond with the fact that, as of this writing, nobody has even made a wikipedia page for their most recent record, 2021’s Electro Melodier, which follows in the footsteps of 2019’s Union by describing and decrying the state of the U.S. during Trump.
Written during the pandemic, of course, “Living in the U.S.A.” doesn’t pretend to have a lot of answers, but it’s sure pointing out a lot of questions as it starts off with Jay Farrar singing over an acoustic guitar.
They say freedom is a natural thing
From cradle to grave, show the world what’s at stake
A higher purpose walks these streets all around
In a sea of noise, it’s still there but tuned out
Living in the USAShare a little truth with your neighbor down the block
We’ve all got fossil fuel lungs while we run out the clock
Living in the USA
Living in the USA
As the rest of the band comes in, you notice that “Living in the U.S.A” is based around the sturdy “Sweet Jane” / “Baba O’Riley” chord changes, which for me, are never going to get old, especially every time Farrar wraps his achy voice around “living in the U.S.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” which is pretty much every verse. As the song progresses, he’s joined on harmonies by bassist Andrew Duplantis, and his vocals add a nice touch, especially on the chorus, which switches things up only slightly.
Where’s the heart from days of old?
Where is the empathy? Where’s the soul?
Living in the USA
Living in the USA
In the end, they chant “Living in the U.S.A.” over and over as the instruments pile up and their voices start fuzzing out — special effects! — until “Living in the U.S.A.” ends, taking its place as my favorite Farrar song in nearly 20 years.
“Living in the U.S.A.”
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