American Primitive

Old 97's

Released on 2024-04-05 by ATO Records
Main artists: Old 97's
Genre: Rock

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Loose and contemplative are not adjectives that usually travel together, but the Old 97's have always been a band who do things their own way, and those words sum up a lot of what's great about the group's 13th studio album, 2024's American Primitive. The band skipped their usually extensive pre-production before they began work on this album, and the result is a set of songs that are smart, energetic, and tuneful but played in a manner that makes clear that they didn't rehearse to death first. Thirty years on from their debut LP, the Old 97's intuitively know how to work together, and if there's a sight hint of rough edges and flaws in these tracks, it works in their favor -- the performances have a lot of life in them, and guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond, and drummer Philip Peeples lock in together with assurance and a sense of adventure that more than suits these tunes. Meanwhile, lead singer and principal lyricist Rhett Miller indulged his introspective streak on 2017's Graveyard Whistling and 2020's Twelfth, and he ups the ante on American Primitive. Here, he takes a deeper look into relationships (his favorite theme), the onset of adulthood, and the uncertain state of the world. The first song kicks off with the line, "You've got to dance like the world is falling down around/Because it is," and it's as good a metaphor for personal, social, and political chaos as you can ask for. Miller is happy to rock alongside his bandmates, yet he still finds himself puzzled by his interactions with the world around him, and the push and pull enlivens his vocal performances and matches the ragged and right swagger of the band. (Miller does contribute a sweetly goofy and thoroughly charming love song, "Honeypie," which concerns his wife's least favorite term of endearment.) Tucker Martine's production is admirably hands-off, capturing the sound of a band rocking out in a good-sounding room without too much trickery, and he brought in a pair of high-quality ringers, Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5, to add some fine, unobtrusive musical accents to the mix. Most bands don't sound as fresh, confident, and willing to take chances three decades into their career as the Old 97's do on American Primitive; they've quietly but firmly matured into one of America's best roots rock acts.

© Mark Deming /TiVo

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American Primitive

Old 97's

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