Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity
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www.avclub.com Rating: 0
The shit-kicking live shows have always been the strongest point of Old 97's; in the studio, the band has had puzzlingly bad luck translating its tight interplay and tighter songcraft. After the immaculate merger of studio brains and visceral brawn on 1999's Fight Songs, 2001's Satellite Rides swung wildly for the arenas, and 2005's Drag It Up was a reverb-sodden mess. Settling into their 15th year, the 97's seem understandably content to live out their career-band days by trying their best in the studio, then making up the difference live. Blame It On Gravity's clean, mild production takes its cues from bands like Okkervil River, where the vocalist is treated as a poet and put front-and-center in the mix. Things could be worse: Rhett Miller is still capable of whipping out lovelorn character sketches and one-liners like no one's business. (The title refers to two alternative explanations for his lady-friend's tears: Blame it on...
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