In honor of Rhett Miller’s solo album dropping earlier this week, I wanted to take a moment and look back. Way back. To my Texas high-school days.
For those not up on Texas based awesomeness, Rhett Miller, Murray Hammond, et al comprise Dallas-based “alt-country” band, Old 97’s, so titled from Johnny Cash’s “Wreck of the Old 97.” The albums “Fight Songs,” “Wreck Your Life,” and “Too Far To Care” got me through some tough times in my Dallas county high school and my early college days. Back then I don’t think they were as well known. Now they’ve had songs on Scrubs, Veronica Mars, The Break-Up, etc, and I can no longer call them just my own.
Miller is a poet. This is one of those bands whose lyrics stand out WITH the music as being above and beyond the average song. The song becomes poem becomes universal. My favorite is from the song “Jagged”:
I couldn’t drink enough to make this makes sense, but I think I’m gonna give it try
Brilliant.
And the range of musicality will floor you. Songs like “Question” will move you while songs like “Time Bomb” or “Four Leaf Clover” will rock you. These tracks are impossible not to sing along to, loudly, with the windows rolled down, as I did driving on the 10 somewhere around the New Mexico/Arizona border on The Big Move four years ago.
I’m having trouble paring it down to even just FOUR songs (which is totally too many to post, but eff it), but I highly recommend anyone checking out their entire discography. Gems to be found throughout…
Old 97’s – “Jagged”
Old 97’s – “Just Like California”
Old 97’s – “Question”
Old 97’s – “Four Leaf Clover”
