“Post to Wire” (released 2004) is Richmond Fontaine’s fifth studio album and the one that really turned me onto the band. Previously the Portland-based quartet were associated with dark, brooding lyrics and a much blacker feel, but “Post to Wire” really highlights not just the band’s ability to compose across genres but the strengths of songwriter and frontman, Willy Vlautin, in creating vivid snapshots of the contemporary west. Labelled “Americana” or “alt-country” by a music press that always feels the need to pigeonhole, the band have developed the genre, and cemented their position in it, where the likes of Uncle Tupelo or Wilco left off. By more use of ...  Read the complete review