{{One source|date=October 2015}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} ''' Gob Iron '''is an American musical group officially formed in 2006. It consists of Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt's Jay Farrar and Varnaline's Anders Parker. Their debut album, ''Death Songs for the Living'' was released on October 31, 2006 by Transmit Sound/Legacy Recordings. Their name comes from a British slang term for a harmonica.
== Music ==
The songs that would become ''Death Songs for the Living'' were recorded spontaneously during a five-day period in autumn of 2004 in Farrar's studio in St. Louis. Farrar had originally intended to record a new Son Volt album, but that project was postponed in favor of these songs.
The songs played, with one exception of a Farrar original, were reworked versions of traditional folk songs by artists such as Rev. J. M. Gates, Stephen Foster and the Stanley Brothers. Lyrics and melodies have been altered, some almost entirely rewritten through what is sometimes referred to as the "folk process". While Farrar and Parker chose the songs on the fly, it was later found that death was a common theme running through; hence the title, ''Death Songs for the Living''. The songs are punctuated by nine short instrumentals, one between every pair of songs.
Allmusic praised ''Death Songs for the Living'' as Farrar's best effort since Son Volt's 1995 ''Trace''. The album is described as "strong, deeply felt, and speaks of a genuine commitment to keeping the folk tradition alive through a willingness to challenge its structures".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r929881|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic ((( Death Songs for the Living > Overview )))|last=Deming|first=Mark|work=Allmusic|accessdate=2009-04-24}}</ref>
== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Discography ! Release date ! Label |- | Death Songs for the Living | October 31, 2006 | Transmit Sound / Legacy Recordings |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.shorefire.com/artists/gobiron/bio_gobiron.html Gob Iron information page] * {{Official website|http://www.jayfarrar.net/|Jay Farrar official website}} * {{Official website|http://www.andersparker.com/|Anders Parker official website}} {{Jay Farrar}} {{Authority control}}
Category:American alternative country groups Category:American folk rock groups Category:Musical groups from St. Louis Category:Musical groups established in 2006