---

Uncle Tupelo
 
 

Anodyne Prior to this album, Uncle Tupelo always sounded to me like an intriguing, even good, but ultimately imperfect ensemble. Jarring changes of volume, tempo and other dynamics made it feel like they didn't quite know how to blend Jay Farrar's lethargic melancholy with Jeff Tweedy's urgent anger. To my ear, they solve this problem on Anodyne, but maybe it really was too hard to achieve and that's why they split after its release. (The obligatory personal anecdote: John, Dave and I missed my first opportunity to see these guys when, on the way to an outdoor show in Austin, we stopped in a bar in LaCrescent or Blooming Prairie or some such place to watch the Twins. Barely made it to town in time to see Gear Daddies.)