My favorite band of the late 90s early Alt Country days is and was the Old 97s. They never seemed to get the attention that Wilco, Son Volt, the Jayhawks, or even Whiskeytown did, but they have hung around now that they have got their due. I always thought the band broke up between their 2004 and 2008 records but I am not sure that they did.
In any case, Drag It Up is perhaps their low point and after that four year layoff, they have come back with one great album after another. American Primitive is their fourth album in the last decade (fifth really - but one is a Christmas album). All of these albums are good but they all have different feels. 2017s Graveyard Whistling is probably my favorite but there is no wrong answer. (I may have thought the band broke up when Rhett Miller released 2006s The Believer. However, his solo career has run concurrently with the band.
I saw the band live in 2022 when Rhett’s album The Misfit was only a couple of weeks old. While I don’t think Rhett’s album are quite as consistent as the band’s- but the catalog is still quite good). American Primitive comes with an entirely different feel and though surely the band is due an inferior album, this isn’t that. It’s another worthwhile addition to the catalog.
Recorded and imagined as an album to catch the live feel of the band. American Primitive is at once a Stephen King reference and a reference to the Musical style made famous by John Fahey. This album is their first to be produced by Tucker Martine who has produced a good deal of respected Americana artists like My Morning Jacket, Laura Veirs and the Decemberists. Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey show up in guest spots too. However you rate it, there are a few songs like Falling Down that will be additions for Old 97s playlists for years to come.
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