There is something especially impressive about a band from Sheffield making a record that sounds like it was born somewhere between a honky-tonk bar, a faded interstate map and a dashboard full of memories. But that is the thing with Fargo Railroad Co. They do not just borrow the sounds of classic country rock and southern rock, they inhabit them. On “IV,” their fourth studio album, they sound warm, wise and utterly convincing.
From the off, “Skin In The Game” sets out the stall. This is classic country in feel, full of warmth and proper songwriting, the sort of tune that seems to roll towards you rather than rush. It is easy to like, but more than that, it reminds you how good this band are at making music that feels lived in. “Nostalgia Never Gets Old” follows with one of those lines that tells you everything about the spirit of the record. When Jody Davies sings that everything was better on VHS, it is a grin-inducing moment, obviously, but it also speaks to the deep affection for the past that runs through this album without ever turning it into an exercise in looking backwards.
That sense of connection is everywhere here. “Buddy” is fun on the face of it, but it also speaks to the brotherhood at the heart of this band and this kind of music. There is camaraderie in the grooves, in the playing, in the way the songs seem built by people who have done the miles and still believe in what they are doing. “Just Cos We Got Kids” is another highlight, not least because the horn section helps it leap from the speakers, but also because much of it seems to deal with remaining true to yourself even as life changes shape around you.
By the time the title track arrives, you are reminded that Fargo Railroad Co are gifted rock’n’roll lifers. There are moments here where you cannot help but think of the E Street Band, not because this sounds remotely like imitation, but because it shares that same sense of heart, craft and communal uplift. Eli Ward’s keys are crucial throughout, adding colour and depth, while the guitars of Davies and Andy P Davison know when to ring out and when to hold back.
“Lump Hammer Lies” is a great example of what this band do so well. Never mind the fact they are from Sheffield, because there is a real honky-tonk authenticity to this performance. It sounds natural, unforced. Then “Night Drive” lets the plaintive wail of the lap steel do the talking, and suddenly the whole record opens up onto the great promise of the road ahead. That sense of possibility matters in this kind of music, and Fargo Railroad Co understand it instinctively.
“Sway Me Down” strips things back a little more, and that only makes Davies’ voice stand out further. He has almost the perfect voice for music like this, and here, with the arrangement more sparse, it sounds so natural that you half-think it must be a cover you have known for years. “Heirloom” underlines another strength of “IV”: the music always seems to match the feeling of the song. Nothing is overplayed, nothing forced. It just fits.
And then “Highway” closes things with a quiet intensity that lingers. It does not need to shout to make its point. Like the rest of the album, it trusts the song, trusts the players and trusts the listener.
Rooted in Sheffield, maybe, but reaching far beyond it, “IV” is the sound of a band who know exactly who they are.
RATING 8.5/10
