Uncle Tupelo only lasted a few years, but was the basis of both Wilco and Son Volt. In the early years of alt-country, I had a bit more with the albums of The Jayhawks, which showed a more melodic sound than the raw sound of Uncle Tupelo. When listening to “Genevieve” by the American band Fust, reminds you of the early albums of The Jayhawks and that is still a pleasant association.
Fust is a band from Durham, North Carolina, and released their debut album two years ago. That album didn’t get a whole lot of attention at the time, but “Genevieve” popped up in the recommendations of both Paste and Pitchfork last week . The fact that “Genevieve” was received so enthusiastically surprised me, because usually there is not much room for these types of albums on both platforms.
At “Genevieve”, Fust joins the pioneering days of alt-country and does so in a great way. There have been times when we have been inundated with these kinds of albums, but in recent years I have unfortunately seen them less and less. “Genevieve” is an album that absolutely deserves the label alt-country. The Durham band starts with the country rock of the 70s, but hasn’t stuck in this decade. The sound of Fust sometimes sounds nice and full, especially when the pedal steel is used, but “Genevieve” also contains a number of more subdued songs.
When a female voice pops up here and there, you can hear how much added value harmonies could have in the band’s sound. On this second album, Fust guarantees songs that stick around, but that are also interesting enough to keep entertaining.
The band has an excellent singer and also guarantees a lot of musical fireworks. This is mainly due to the guitars, which are prominent in the mix, but the contributions of keyboards and the pedal steel are also beautiful. Especially when the guitars are soloing, I hear a lot of similarities with the music of The Jayhawks, but Fust also has his own style, especially because of the vocals and the full sound.
It’s amazing how Fust manages to reproduce the sound from the early years of alt-country. The band does not stop there, because the band also sounds absolutely contemporary on its second album. The fact that Fust sounds like a timeless alt-country album is also to the credit of producer Alex Farrar, one of the emerging talents in North Carolina, who once again delivers craftsmanship.
The Fat Angel Sings 