The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 21, 1997 - 11 Roots rock releases hit stores tomorrow Swift swoops to A2 Writer to read at Borders on Wednesday By Anders Smith-LIndall Daily Arts Writer If you're a fan of "alternative-coun- " music, you've been saving your ney for weeks with tomorrow in mind. The big day is finally here as Tuesday, April 22, brings the release of new albums by two of the genre's titans, the Jayhawks and Son Volt, as well as a double-album re-issue by the up-and- coming Scud Mountain Boys. For nmuh of the last two years, fans wonderediwhen - or if- they would ever heir fom the Jayhawks again. In the surnmer of 1995, c4-founder and Tef soggwriter Mark Olson departed the grop with little explanation, but after a brief period of uncertainty, gui- tarist Gary Louris, bassist Marc Perlmab, and keyboardist Karen GrotbegZ recruited drummer Tim O'Reagan, second guitarist Kraig Johnso (of Run Westy Run and GoldentiSmog) and violinist Jessy Greene7(Tie Geraldine Fibbers) and, with producer Brian Paulson, the re- ed4end re-energized group headed into a Minneapolis studio and got back to work. The result is "Sound of Lies" (*** , American). Uporfirst listen, longtime 'Hawks fans maye startled: This is not a coun- try-rock album. Gone are the Byrds and Burrito Brothers influences, replaced by the Beatles and Big Star. Gone are the pedal steel and Olson's harmonica, replaced by Louris and Johnson's dis- ed guitars. Gone are the Minnesota iries and small towns, replaced by Minneapolis' crowded city streets. Gone are Olson and Louris' trademark twangy harmonies - and these can't be replaced. But after what may be an initial reac- tion of surprise (or even disappoint- ment), repeated listens reveal this record to be not only daring and differ- ent but damn good. Highlights include W rocking "Big Star," the haunting "Haywire," and the spunky "It's Up to You," as well as the album-opening rocker "The Man Who Loved Life," the first single, "Think About It," and the delicate title track. In the early '90s, another band joined the Jayhawks at the head of the country- rock movement - Uncle Tupelo. Like the Jayhawks, Tupelo went through a breakup when co-leader Jay Farrar part- ed ways from the group in mid-1994. Like the Jayhawks, the other Tupelo members soldiered on without their lead songwriter, and have found success today as Wilco. But unlike the Jayhawks' departed Mark Olson, Jay Farrar hasn't disappeared. Instead, Farrar formed Son Volt, along with original Tupelo member Mike Heidorn on drums and the 'Hawks fellow Minneapolitans, brothers Dave and Jim Boquist on guitar, bass, fiddle and steel. The band's 1995 debut, "Trace," was met with near-unanimous critical acclaim; it was hands-down the finest album of that year. Tomorrow, Son Volt returns with its sophomore effort, "Straightaways" (**** , Warner Bros.).r Unlike the Jayhawks, Son Volt isn't exploring any new territory - the title of the new record accurately reflects their musical path. Instead, Farrar delves deeper into the themes he explored on "Trace," themes of memo- ry and nostalgia; the impermanence of time and the intricacies of love; the call of the open road. The thematic content isn't the only thing that recalls "Trace." In fact, the two records are so similar in sound that one wouldn't be inaccurate to refer to "Straightaways" as "Trace 2." Because of this, some argue that Farrar hasn't grown, won't take chances, can't go beyond what he has already done. They will say that he has two musical modes: The uptempo, chugging rocker like the album-opening "Caryatid Easy" and "Picking Up the Signal," and the quiet, folksy introspection of "Left A Slide" and "Last Minute Shakedown." But when you do two things better than any- Son Volt (from left): Dave Boquist, Jim Boquist, Mike Heldorn and Jay Farrar. body else, why change? Between the recording of the two albums, the band's dedicated tour schedule helped them come together into a tight, cohesive unit. The musi- cianship, individually great on "Trace," is even better on "Straightaways." Son Volt can now truly be called a great band, not just a collection of fine musi- cians supporting Farrar. Overall, "Straightaways" is not only a worthy follow-up to "Trace," but also a fine continuation of Uncle Tupelo's body of work. More than anything, the last three tracks on "Straightaways" recall that band's third release, "March 16-20, 1992," an album dominated by acoustic gui- tar, banjo, and harmonica and echoing Appalachian mountain music. In fact, "Been Set Free," the next-to-last track on the new record, revisits "Lilli Schull," a traditional murder ballad covered on "March." But where "Lilli Schull" was sung from the point of view of the murderer, "Been Set Free" has Farrar singing as the victim from beyond the grave. Other memorable songs from "Straightaways" include the album's lead single, "Back Into Your World," which features a Byrds-like, jangling, 12-string lead-guitar line; one of the sweetest but most sorrowful songs Farrar has ever penned, "Left A Slide;" and the dark eulogy of the album-clos- ing "Way Down Watson." Tomorrow's third major release in the country-rock genre comes courtesy of the Scud Mountain Boys, in the form of a double-CD re-issue of their first two long out-of-print releases, "Pine Box" and "Dance the Night Away." The re- issue, titled "The Early Year" (** , Sub Pop), shows the band's develop- ment prior to the recording of last year's "Massachusetts." Like "Massachusetts," the albums that comprise "The Early Year" are melancholy and quiet, even sleepy. Unfortunately, they don't rise above the confines of their small sound here like they do on "Massachusetts." Most of the original songs sound the same; the band doesn't take any chances. Even their cover songs are uni- formly bland, standard fare like "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" and "Wichita Lineman." For the cost of this double-disc, you'd be much better off buying both The Jayhawks and Son Volt. By Elizabeth Lucas Daily Books Editor "I've always felt the key to universal- ity is through locality. Experience is always in a place." So says English writer Graham Swift about his latest novel, "Last Orders." In a book about South London men fromR the World War II PR generation, Swift G has written aboutu universal themes like history and work, isolation and loyalty. The main characters in "Last Orders" are four old friends, going to scatter the ashes of a fifth man who has just died. The story is told by shifting narrators in a lyrical, and often humorous, British dialect. As one man, Ray, says near the beginning of the book, "It's a comfort to know your undertaker's your mate. It must have been a comfort to Jack. It's a comfort to know your own mate will lay you out and box you up and do the necessary. So Vic better last out." As the characters take turns telling the story, the action moves from one scene to another, relating the men's his- tories in fragments that slowly come to illuminate the present. The importance of history, and the gradual assembling of a story, are also features of Swift's previous work, most notably the 1983 novel "Waterland." As Swift said in an inter- view with The Michigan Daily, "I like that shifting point of view; I like to let the characters themselves construct their story." But the most striking thing about Swift's novels is that they are works of the imagination, in a literary world filled with autobiographies and mem- oirs. Swift's books enthrall readers with unfamiliar characters and settings, even as they incorporate universal situations and ideas. "I'm not the kind of writer who bases UEVIEW araham Swift Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. At Borders Free has written six other books, which have met with increasing acclaim and readership around the world. "Waterland" was a finalist for -the Booker Prize, Britain's top literary award, and "Last Orders" won 'the 1996 Booker Prize. "I was absolutely thrilled to have won it," Swift said. "There was a time when the Booker Prize didn't mean much here - now it's a very important thing." He added, "I think I've won at a good point in my life and career," saying that if "Waterland" had won the prize, "it might have been too much success too early." Swift acknowledged that it can still be difficult for literary novels to find an audience, but added, "I'm an opti- mist about all this. I believe that more and more, the potential readers want something that gives them something back. They get tired of other things that are shallow and pre- dictable." When asked for his thoughts on writ- ing, Swift had an unusual suggestion. "Write about what you don't know" Swift advised. "I always think you have to make the imagination work. That's where all the excitement is, and it's where the excitement for readers lies, too." Swift's novels themselves bear out the truth of that statement. fiction on things that happen in life" Swift said. "The great joy of writing is that you get out of yourself into other experiences, worlds, lives." Swift said that he began wanting to be a writer "when I was a boy, really,. I think it was because I read a lot. I was excited by what.I read in books, and I wanted to do what authors did" Swift's first novel was pub- lished in 1980, and since then he -i __ ________1______T T-SHIRT PRINTING . LOWEST PRICES! 1 HIGHEST QUALI1Y! H * FASTEST SERVICE! I 1002 PONTIAC TR. U 994-1367 M MEU U *UUUUEEUUM A.T. Kearney would like to welcome our University of Michigan business analysts: Dana Heuschele - Cleveland Daniel Ogbonna - Dallas i