Description
Label Review.
2017 album.
Our Overview.
Although they became one of the most enduring bands in the alternative country-rock catalog, Old 97′s drew inspiration from a broad range of genres, including the twangy stomp of cowpunk and the melodies of power pop. Formed in 1993 by frontman Rhett Miller and bassist Murry Hammond, the group spent the bulk of the decade posed on the brink of mainstream success, issuing albums that often drew warm reviews but never yielded a substantial hit. Old 97′s tightened their sound as the decade drew to a close, retaining their bar-band vigor while introducing a stronger pop/rock sound on albums like Too Far to Care and Satellite Rides. They have since released ten studio albums and are recognised as pioneers of the alt-country movement.
“Hammond and drummer Philip Peeples anchor these songs in Texas red clay, and guitar player Ken Bethea unleashes compact, eloquent riffs. He’s one of alt-country’s unsung guitar players, with a talent for mimicking vocal melodies and teasing them into solos” Washington Post.
“From the first frenetic chord of Miller's incredible rich and raucous songs, one finds that these guys flat-out rock…pioneers in songwriting flair, wit and energy” Riverfront Times.
With so much water under the bridge, and so much time passed, it's not only easy to take what the 97's are doing for granted, but easy to forget how radical and riotous they were at the time. They perfected a template and have had no real relevant usurpers to their throne.
Their new LP, Graveyard Whistling, the band’s eleventh full length release to date. at the same Texas studio where they recorded their first major label release, 1996’s Too Far To Care. While there are new collaborators on Graveyard Whistling including Nicole Atkins, Butch Walker and Brandi Carlile, there aren’t many bands who can claim to have an intact, unchanged line-up as they approach twenty-five years together.
Graveyard Whistling will be available in four different cover colour options – red, blue, green and silver – and each comes with a matching translucent vinyl.