Old 97’s

With Elektra Records seemingly placing more confidence in Rhett Miller and his new solo career (his debut–well, his first solo outing since Mythologies–is due September 24) than the band behind him, it’s only natural to wonder where the Old 97’s will go from here. It’s been almost a year and a half since they released Satellite Rides and attempted to meld their newly honed squeaky pop craft (on full display throughout their previous record, Fight Songs) with a tinge of their earlier raucous, alt-country edge. The results–most notably the catchy tangy-twang single “King of All the World” and the forlorn “Buick City Complex”–proved overwhelmingly positive. Even when compared with their circa-1997 Too Far to Care-era prime, their tunes are still endlessly endearing, and Miller continues to sound like he recently dropped out of high school and in front of a doctor. The doctor is telling him his broken heart is barely, just barely, beyond repair–in terms of sound, a good thing. So what’s next? The 97’s aren’t rusty yet, and, assuming solo careers don’t prove too tempting (or temptingly lucrative), we can only hope for more of the same.