A dying breed Farrar (center) and the latest incarnation of Son Volt.

Jay Farrar is a man of few words - then again, his musical legacy speaks for itself. From 1987-1994, Farrar fronted the legendary alternative country act Uncle Tupelo alongside current Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy; from 1994-1999 he continued to pioneer the genre via Son Volt; and from 2001-2004 he pursued a successful solo career, which showed him turning down the blaring amps in favor of acoustic guitars and stripped-down instrumentation. In 2005, Son Volt finally ended its hiatus and released Okemah and the Melody of Riot. It also recently released its latest album, The Search.

"The last Son Volt record was more of an electric guitar album, because after doing solo discs for so long, that's something I really wanted to jump back into," Farrar explains via phone when asked about his seemingly cyclical musical trajectory. "But on The Search, I think the natural inclination was to mix things up and take it in a different direction."

For the first time most of the record was written on piano instead of guitar. "I think it's a combination of conscious decision and sort of an intuitive inspiration that I'm following - and usually that inspiration takes me away from what I was doing on the previous record."

It's true. The organ-driven "Underground Dream" is so delicate it feels like it could fall apart at any moment; the dark acoustic number "Circadian Rhythm" recalls a more layered version of Gob Iron (Farrar's side project with Varnaline's Anders Parker); and "Methamphetamine" wouldn't sound out of place among the ballads from Son Volt's classic 1996 debut, Trace. However, that doesn't mean The Search is a snoozefest, and although tracks like "Action" may not feature distortion-drenched solos, they do contain plenty of carefully constructed subtleties that'll keep you returning for multiple listens.

However, the characteristically modest Farrar insists this musical maturity on the disc has a lot to do with the number of tracks that he had to choose from. "A majority of these songs were written during a three- or four-month period right after Okemah was recorded," he explains. "I had a little more time than I do normally to concentrate on writing, so a ton of songs ended up coming out of that batch." Although there are only 12 songs on The Search, the remaining B-sides are currently available via iTunes as well as a forthcoming double-vinyl release. "It'll be out there, so whoever wants to plow through all 22, they can," Farrar adds with a laugh.

In a lot of ways, musicians like Farrar are a dying breed. Despite the fact he experienced massive underground acclaim with Uncle Tupelo in the early '90s and had a radio hit with Son Volt's "Trace," it seems like Farrar still has to sell himself in order to be heard. "I think in the early '90s there seemed to be a brief period where commercial radio was actually helping emerging artists, whereas that's not the case now," he answers when asked what's changed the most about touring in the past decade.

So, considering the dismal state of the corporately consolidated music industry, how much longer does Farrar see himself doing this?

"I guess I never really look that far ahead," he answers. "But certainly most of the guys I have a lot of respect for, like Johnny Cash and George Jones, all kept doing it for a while," he continues. "I've got a long rock way to go."