Good thing the movement they're distancing themselves from here is decades old and can take the hit. <g> > Old 97's Get Feedback From Frank Black On New Record > Old 97's > 28.8 RealAudio > > Coming off the momentum from its just-wrapped preview >tour, the Old 97's are > continuing to build up steam towards the release of its >new album, "Fight Songs," due > out on April 27. > > According to band guitarist and vocalist Rhett Miller, >the new Old 97's record -- which > had been originally titled "Imaginary Friends" -- finds >the group exchanging its alt. > country garb for a "slightly more Britpop kind of >guitar sound," a sound featured on the > first single, "Murder (Or a Heart Attack) [28.8 >RealAudio]. > > A departure from the "cow-punk" chops of the band's >critical breakthrough, "Wreck > Your Life" as well as its 1997 major-label debut, "Too >Far to Care," Miller admits that > the end result of the new album caught him off-guard. > > After finishing an early mix of "Fight Songs," Miller >felt a little insecure about whether > the record might alienate some fans, and sent off >copies of the album to family and > friends -- including one Frank Black -- for feedback. > > "I felt very weird after [the record] was done, because >I knew it was not really in the > same vein as our other three records," Miller told MTV >News Online. "It's so far away > from the 'No Depression' movement that we'd been >associated with, so I was a little > worried (laughs). So I sent copies of the CD to a few >people, one of which was Frank > Black." > > "He had approached us at an Old 97's show a while >back," Miller continued, "and of > course we all love him and the Pixies. So, when [Black] >called me back and said he > really liked ['Fight Songs'], I knew we had passed the >bar. Unfortunately, his favorite > track, 'The Villain,' ended up getting left off the >U.S. version of the album, but I think > we're using it as a bonus track on the Japanese import. >Sorry about that Frank." > > Even though the new Old 97's record doesn't come out >until next month, fans can catch > a snippet of another track from "Fight Songs," entitled >"19" [28.8 RealAudio], that is > being used on promotional spots for the WB drama >"Felicity" throughout March. >
