American Primitive

Loose and contemplative are not adjectives that usually travel together, but the Old 97s have always been a band who do things their own way, and those words sum up a lot of whats great about the groups 14th studio album, 2024s 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 didnt rehearse to death first. Thirty years on from their debut LP, the Old 97s intuitively know how to work together, and if theres 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 2017s Graveyard Whistling and 2020s 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, "Youve got to dance like the world is falling down around/Because it is," and its 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 wifes least favorite term of endearment.) Tucker Martines 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 dont sound as fresh, confident, and willing to take chances three decades into their career as the Old 97s do on American Primitive; theyve quietly but firmly matured into one of Americas best roots rock acts. ~ Mark Deming