Monday, April 19, 2004
Something New, Something "Old"
I'm a week late, but there's news out on the upcoming Old 97s release, "Drag It Up."
Says Bassist Murray Hammond: "We're almost done with the new 97's record, we'll all have a lot more to say about that in the next couple of weeks. It's gonna be good, I'll tell ya that right now."
Long-time fans, such as myself, certainly hope Hammond speaks the truth. Old 97s frontman Rhett Miller told me last Fall that the new record should represent a reversal, of sorts, from the direction taken in the band's past two albums.
What can fans expect from the new album? “I have a feeling that the next 97s record will be a little more, I don’t know what the right word is, rootsy?” Miller says. “It will be a rock record, maybe similar to Too Far to Care, with maybe a little bit more of a spectrum of the songs – some quieter stuff than we did on that."
That will probably come as good news to many fans, who have followed the Old 97s since their Hitchhike to Rhome days. Early on the band was known for its edgy, rock-infused country style, but their sound has gradually crescendoed more into pop on Fight Songs and 2001’s Satellite Rides.
As a fan, I didn't dislike the last two efforts. But I don't think their radio-friendly hooks and melodies equaled the earlier albums. I have yet to hear any of the new songs (by comparison, I had heard almost half of Satellite Rides at shows, a good six months prior to the release), but should I get the opportunity, I'll post my thoughts.
The new record should hit stores June 29.
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Says Bassist Murray Hammond: "We're almost done with the new 97's record, we'll all have a lot more to say about that in the next couple of weeks. It's gonna be good, I'll tell ya that right now."
Long-time fans, such as myself, certainly hope Hammond speaks the truth. Old 97s frontman Rhett Miller told me last Fall that the new record should represent a reversal, of sorts, from the direction taken in the band's past two albums.
What can fans expect from the new album? “I have a feeling that the next 97s record will be a little more, I don’t know what the right word is, rootsy?” Miller says. “It will be a rock record, maybe similar to Too Far to Care, with maybe a little bit more of a spectrum of the songs – some quieter stuff than we did on that."
That will probably come as good news to many fans, who have followed the Old 97s since their Hitchhike to Rhome days. Early on the band was known for its edgy, rock-infused country style, but their sound has gradually crescendoed more into pop on Fight Songs and 2001’s Satellite Rides.
As a fan, I didn't dislike the last two efforts. But I don't think their radio-friendly hooks and melodies equaled the earlier albums. I have yet to hear any of the new songs (by comparison, I had heard almost half of Satellite Rides at shows, a good six months prior to the release), but should I get the opportunity, I'll post my thoughts.
The new record should hit stores June 29.
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