Richmond Fontaine

I was starting to think that August and September weren't going to be exciting (with the exception of Blueprint 3) when two surprises fell into my lap. In the span of 2 weeks, I discovered new releases from two of my favorite "why does nobody listen to them?" artists: Richmond Fontaine and Joe Henry (I'll get to him later in the week).

Richmond Fontaine is a Portland, Oregon alt-country band that has managed to stay completely anonymous though nine albums despite critical worship from the few publications that actually write about them. Imagine a singer with the storytelling abilities nearly on par with Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen and a band the plays Being There and Summerteeth era Wilco. With all due respect to the Drive-By Truckers, this is America's greatest alt-country band. And for reasons beyond me, nobody cares. Not even most critics.

This band has four solid masterpieces in a row, including Post To Wire (bar rocking fun), The Fitzgerald (devastatingly stark and spare), and Thirteen Cities (they loosen up and expand in the spirit of Summerteeth). Their latest and maybe best is the brilliantly titled We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River - a record where they explore giving up and going home. It may sound like a sad theme, but the band sounds like they are having more fun than ever - this is their most accessible album.

"You Can Move Back Here" uses bells, jangle pop, and rising harmonies to welcome a lost soul home - this is the kind of song we wish R.E.M. still wrote. "Maybe We Were Both Born Blue" has a sarcastic romanticism that is far removed from the dark character sketches they used to write. "Walking Back To Our Place at 3 A.M." is a gorgeous instrumental that acts as a perfect bridge to the more emotional and drawn out final two tracks, but nothing on this album overstays its welcome.

Where as most alt-county band have trouble keeping momentum for an entire record, this band keeps it mostly fun through 14 tracks and 43 minutes. We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River isn't as literate and complex as the brutally dark Fitzgerald, but it is easier to like and should earn Richmond Fontaine some well-earned new fans. Anybody who has ever loved alt-country should know who these people are.