2x****
Like The Search, American Central Dust starts slow with "Dynamite", pleasant but unsurprising. "Down To The Wire" sounds good, maybe because it sounds familiar. There is a very good reason for that: it is essentially the same as "Circadian Rhythm" from The Search. Though the ballsy instrumentation is a bit different also, in my book you have to change more than just the words to have a new song. The album bumps placidly along, between Neil Young-influenced country waltzes "Cocaine And Ashes" and "No Turning Back" to Neil Young-influenced grunge of "When The wheels Don't Move", with some good lines and harmonies thrown in, "No Turning Back" holding dead center alt-country. "Roll On" and "Dust Of Daylight" are pure traditional country, and while the instrumentation is dense and tasteful, none are amazingly noteworthy. The end of the album takes a more dramatic turn, and as "Exiles" is in no way a departure, the interplay of lead guitars is well done. "Sultana"**** is a stately piano ballad, though paying a huge debt to "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald". "Strength And Doubt" continues the slow trend, while the organ and harmonies add to the sonic fullness. The hook of "Jukebox Of Steel"**** may be too large for the closing track, but happily it leaves the album on a note that is memorable.
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