Whiskeytown - Faithless Street (1995)

29 (2005) or more recently Cardinology (2008), serves no purpose. It's 1995, the pop culture of theAmerican extrovert is still reeling from the passing of Kurt Cobain and out of the little township of Raleigh, North Carolina, comes Whiskeytown, with this album, an album of immaturity, flawed with theinn ability to decipher between genres, but it could be this veryshort-coming which gives Faithless Street its charm. Still firmly set in the ways of his previous punk-outlet, The Patty Duke Syndrome, Adams and the band's violinist Caitlin Cary often conflict between the country-punk influence which emergesthroughout this album, and at times, Faithless Street offers a pleasing dose of distorted mongrolised Alt-Country with tracks like Drank like a River acting as a communal country sing-along with twinges of teenage-punk guitar abuse.Adams' songwriting ability is famous in tracks like Faithless Street, If he can't make you and Excuse me if I give my own heart tonight, the latter turning up on a lots more clean, Geffen-ised level on the band's next album, Strangers Almanac (1997). The punk-country battle does become strenuous at times, and though Adams worshippers will receive light in the darkest parts of his career (and opposite to popular belief, he does give some), this album can be excused because of it's immaturity. Vocal drawls and glimmers of the latter-day, tortured genius, come to work in tracks like Black Arrow, Bleeding Heart, and Desperate ain't lonely only to be kicked up the bottom in a couple of southern cowboy bootsby the Gram Parsons - country rock attempt in Hard Luck Story. This album has its place, in the yuppie mainstream anxiety of '90s high school America, it is satisfying to know that a lot of punk-nerds were out there for the minority, and withno holds barred tracks like Revenge on this album, their attack at battling back against the people of America is worthy, even enjoyable. Born out of frustration, blighted by influence, hindered by immaturity, Faithless Street is an honest attempt, but honesty rarely survives, so give the over-educated twenty-somethings of Carolina a chance, forboth Wilcoand Ramones' fans will discover something in this album. Achildish, but honestattempt atTop Dollar Blues indeed. ***