Death Songs for the Living

iTunes Review

Uncle Tupelo/ Son Volt singer Jay Farrar can’t sing anything without making the situation sound dire. Much like his hero, Townes Van Zandt, the sorrowful passion is built into his downcast twang. So, couple that with traditional American folk songs such as “Death’s Black Train,” “Hard Times” and “Death is Only A Dream” and you’ve got the perfect soundtrack to a funeral party. Recorded in two days as Gob Iron (British slang for harmonica) with fellow country-folk traveler former Varnaline leader Anders Parker, the album features nine folk tunes originally written or performed by the likes of the Reverend JM Gates, Stephen Foster and the Stanley Brothers, updated and modified with new lyrics and arrangements as part of the “folk process” by Farrar. There's also an extra tagged-on electric original (“Buzz and Grind”) plus nine brief acoustic instrumental interludes between tracks. The highlights are many. “Hills of Mexico,” heard from an old Dylan basement tape, and “East Virginia Blues,” learned from a Ramblin’ Jack Elliot record, maintain their transcendent form as the two singers invigorate the timeless melodies with their own sincere and empathetic emotions bubbling to the surface.