i would still listen to the last SKM albums if i saw them cheap somewhere though.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 16 October 2013 22:59 (ten years ago) link
I will definitely give the SKM stuff another chance! Thanks for the recommendations.
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Wednesday, 16 October 2013 23:17 (ten years ago) link
scott "Admiral Fell Promises" is especially good. I think it is very distinct even though the ingredients definitely are not.
― Evan, Thursday, 17 October 2013 04:58 (ten years ago) link
It was much more absorbing initially than April for me.
This has been in seriously heavy rotation since it came out. I guess I should go back and listen to his older stuff.
― Immediate Follower (NA), Monday, 21 October 2013 14:57 (ten years ago) link
alfred wrote a really nice review of the new album:
http://www.spin.com/articles/cass-mccombs-big-wheel-and-others-domino/
― scott seward, Monday, 21 October 2013 15:03 (ten years ago) link
thank you Alfred for not mentioning that McCombs hates doing press or lives a nomadic existance and all the other crap that most writers can't stop repeating.I still really like the Manassas song.
― I hope our coach wears the pants and resigns (mizzell), Monday, 21 October 2013 18:44 (ten years ago) link
oh I don't care for biography
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 October 2013 18:54 (ten years ago) link
― Immediate Follower (NA), Monday, October 21, 2013 10:57 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Dropping The Writ!
A top something favorite album ever for me.
― Evan, Monday, 21 October 2013 19:00 (ten years ago) link
Forgot to report that the deluxe vinyl for this was worth it! Love the packaging and the bonus 7" is great. Album sounds great on record too. Only hiccup was that it reads "Casss McCombs" on the spine, but that might be intentional I guess.
― Evan, Monday, 28 October 2013 15:05 (ten years ago) link
cassssssssss
― flamboyant goon tie included, Monday, 28 October 2013 15:14 (ten years ago) link
2 or more extras I can see, 1 extra though? I should write them an angry letter about this.
― Evan, Monday, 28 October 2013 15:55 (ten years ago) link
Dear Sirs or, as you would have it, Sirss,
― brio, Monday, 28 October 2013 17:06 (ten years ago) link
“I don’t even really want to make records — I’m dissatisfied with the whole medium,” said the singer-songwriter Cass McCombs, who has made seven of them, including the 22-track “Big Wheel and Others,” which he released earlier this month. “It’s a bizarre format in these digital times. The size of the Internet is infinite, so why do we define albums to be a specific length? It’s annoying to have to conform to something so arbitrary.” That’s why his latest, a massive, sprawling tapestry (the extended vinyl edition actually features 25 songs) that jumps from genre to genre, explodes the format. “It’s more like two and a half albums,” McCombs said with a laugh. “I actually had enough material to make a terrible triple album. As much as I love “Sandinista!,” I never thought that was a good idea.”
― mizzell, Wednesday, 6 November 2013 20:46 (ten years ago) link
It's long but I don't mind a bit.
― Evan, Wednesday, 6 November 2013 21:16 (ten years ago) link
wait till you get to the nine-minute one in which he murmurs "They say Indians are for India" over and over.
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, October 7, 2013 1:45 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I'm glad you revised this criticism in your review because nothing about this statement is true about the song in question.
― Evan, Friday, 8 November 2013 21:44 (ten years ago) link
yeah it's "They say an Indian doesn't come from India" and it's 8:59.
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 8 November 2013 21:47 (ten years ago) link
Saw him play last night. A very good set that didn't just concentrate on songs from the new album. The only disappointing part was 'County Line' with no Rhodes.
― righteousmaelstrom, Friday, 8 November 2013 21:48 (ten years ago) link
He only says that once, too.
xp
― Evan, Friday, 8 November 2013 21:48 (ten years ago) link
That was the main error.
― Evan, Friday, 8 November 2013 21:49 (ten years ago) link
i can't say i get what cass was going for with everything has to be just so. the older version, which was released as a b-side, is great. one of his best melodies in hidden there.
― mizzell, Friday, 8 November 2013 22:14 (ten years ago) link
Excellent, jammy show last night in nyc. Highlights were often from guitarist Dan Iead, who got a very Jerry Garcia like tone on his solo for There Can Be Only One, had lovely nimble runs on the pedal steel, and had a huge, jazzy/psychy solo on the standout number Dream Comes True Girl (nearly as skronky as the keyboard solo from this show: http://livewire.auralstates.com/2011/07/28/cass-mccombs-live-at-the-golden-west-cafe/)Drummer Joe Russo also really great.
― mizzell, Friday, 13 December 2013 17:57 (ten years ago) link
my brother and cass! wish i could go. i never go.
https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1532078_669302099774176_5714364121732205858_n.jpg
― scott seward, Monday, 12 May 2014 18:19 (ten years ago) link
Go!
― Evan, Tuesday, 13 May 2014 05:20 (ten years ago) link
recent live show: https://archive.org/details/cm2013-12-13.mk4.rboxthat's the only thing up on the archive at the moment, but hopefully more pop up - i think he is actually a lot better live than on record.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 May 2014 16:22 (ten years ago) link
His band was amazing when I saw him. Incredible players, all of them.
― Evan, Tuesday, 13 May 2014 16:50 (ten years ago) link
OK!
Alternative rock godfathers Meat Puppets will be teaming up with the newer and consistently impressive songwriter Cass McCombs for a co-headlining tour this fall.
10/21 Duck Room @ Blueberry Hill University City, MO10/22 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI10/23 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL10/24 A and R Music Bar Columbus, OH10/27 Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA10/28 The Met Pawtucket, RI10/29 The Sinclair Cambridge, MA10/30 Showcase Lounge South Burlington, VT10/31 Rough Trade NYC Brooklyn, NY11/1 Rough Trade NYC Brooklyn, NY11/2 Black Cat Washington, DC11/4 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC11/5 Center Stage Atlanta, GA11/7 Fitzgerald's Houston, TX11/28 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ11/29 The Casbah San Diego, CA12/2 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA12/3 The Independent San Francisco, CA12/5 Neumos Seattle, WA12/6 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR
― mizzell, Tuesday, 29 July 2014 19:50 (nine years ago) link
dammit no mpls, would love to see this bill! that's amazing
― global tetrahedron, Tuesday, 29 July 2014 20:00 (nine years ago) link
so this was kind of a weird pairing. meat puppets were pretty bad imo, there's a weird aggro metal-head vibe going on there that i wasn't into. but cass was good, and he played a 11-minute, dubbed out version of county linehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U5M2LrgtHk
― mizzell, Saturday, 15 November 2014 02:48 (nine years ago) link
The A and D sides of Big Wheel are pretty much perfect. Have less of a problem with the length of the thing than the Sean interludes, undermines the dusky mood of the whole thing. "Morning Star" is a song that I continue to unpack and unpack
― my booty it clean (fgti), Thursday, 15 January 2015 16:01 (nine years ago) link
saw a somewhat secret show last night in a small nyc basement. sound was terrible and i left early but the band (including walter martin from the walkmen on organ) turned Don't Vote into an excellent JJ Cale shuffle.
― mizzell, Tuesday, 10 March 2015 14:47 (nine years ago) link
fun recent show of the McCombs Skiffle Players, basically Cass plus Beachwood Sparkshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTCvw7uxY4UAccording to Dave Scher's blog, this group recorded earlier this year
― mizzell, Friday, 1 May 2015 15:49 (nine years ago) link
http://www.treblezine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/cass-folk-470x470.jpeg
A Folk Set Apart: Rarities, B-Sides & Space Junk, Etc.
01 I Cannot Lie02 A.Y.D.03 Oatmeal04 Twins05 Minimum Wage06 Poet’s Day07 An Other08 Bradley Manning09 Evangeline10 Empty Promises11 If You Loved Me Before…12 Three Men Sitting On A Hollow Log13 Lost River / Old River14 Old As Angry15 Texas16 Night Of The World17 Traffic Of Souls18 Catacombs Cow Cow Boogie19 The State Will Take Care Of Me
― mizzell, Tuesday, 13 October 2015 19:25 (eight years ago) link
!!!
Nice! Looking forward to it.
― Evan, Tuesday, 13 October 2015 19:44 (eight years ago) link
Me too. Release date?
― Wimmels, Tuesday, 13 October 2015 20:14 (eight years ago) link
December 11
― mizzell, Tuesday, 13 October 2015 20:22 (eight years ago) link
cool cover
― global tetrahedron, Tuesday, 13 October 2015 21:06 (eight years ago) link
Looking forward to having these all together, I have a bunch of them already. I don't know:
03 Oatmeal07 An Other17 Traffic Of Souls18 Catacombs Cow Cow Boogie (hoping this is the instrumental from the youtube video i posted way upthread)19 The State Will Take Care Of Me
only tracks missing that I know are Healing (from the That's That 7") and an earlier version of Everything has to be Just So, which I have an mp3 of but don't know where it came from.
― mizzell, Wednesday, 14 October 2015 18:31 (eight years ago) link
I have been looking for the original version of Everything has to be just so (and cass forum) forever! Where did find it?
― Griff_Doge, Friday, 11 December 2015 19:19 (eight years ago) link
Bad Grammar. Also - Mizzell, I took the extended county line video you posted. Glad someone found it.
― Griff_Doge, Friday, 11 December 2015 19:29 (eight years ago) link
Haha is that Adam? Tim K. here.
I've got the song on my computer - PM me yr email address!
I like it way better than the album version, btw
― bunny slopes, Saturday, 12 December 2015 00:06 (eight years ago) link
Having a hard time getting into this new b-sides / rarities collection. I still like it (I like p much everything this dude does), but there's some pretty skippable stuff on this new one imo. Then again, I didn't love Big Wheel either. I may just prefer Cass in smaller, digestible doses, I think.
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Saturday, 12 December 2015 01:29 (eight years ago) link
I thought I preferred small Cass to big Cass but think this collection might be my favourite 'album' of his
― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Saturday, 12 December 2015 22:28 (eight years ago) link
Interesting! What are some favorites? I like a good third of it quite a bit, but of those, I'd heard about five of them before. Some of the earlier "garage-y" stuff doesn't appeal to me at all; one of those tunes sounds like an outtake from Incesticide or something. I wish there was more of the "Edgar Allan Poe meets Morrissey meets Lou Reed" stuff he does so well.
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Sunday, 13 December 2015 04:49 (eight years ago) link
one of those tunes sounds like an outtake from Incesticide or something
AYD kinda quotes Nirvana ("I hate myself but I want to live"
Some def skippable tracks, but that's not much of a surprise for a b-sides and rarities collection.
AYD, Twins, Minimum Wage, Empty Promises, Evangeline, and Night of the World all really good. Traffic of Souls the pick of the previously unreleased tracks.
Thanks for the video, Griff. Let me know if you still need Everything Has to be Just So.
― mizzell, Sunday, 13 December 2015 15:45 (eight years ago) link
Anyone know if the physical copies come with some sort of background on the tracks, like what release they were on or near? I know the state will take care of me was issued on vinyl at some point because the version I found prior to this release had the signature pops and crackles.
― Griff_Doge, Monday, 14 December 2015 18:43 (eight years ago) link
interesting, it hasn't been release on vinyl as far as i know. Domino says 5 tracks have never been released, and The State Will Take Care Of Me is one of those, i believe.
Releases:I Cannot Lie/ AYD - 7" Single (Monitor 2004)Twins - B-side to Sacred Heart (Monitor/4AD 2004)Minimum Wage - B-side to Dreams Come True Girl (Domino 2009)Poet’s Day - B-side to The Same Thing (Domino 2011)Bradley Manning/ Empty Promises - 7" Single (Domino 2012)Evangeline & Night Of The World - Split Single with Meat Puppets (Domino 2014)If You Loved Me Before… - Split Single with White Magic (Famous Class 2013)Three Men Sitting On A Hollow Log - Split Single with Michael Hurley (Secret Seven 2013)Lost River / Old River, Old As Angry, & Texas - 7" that came with Big Wheel and Others (Domino 2013)
That leaves Oatmeal, An Other, Traffic Of Souls, Catacombs Cow Cow Boogie, and The State Will Take Care Of Me.
― mizzell, Monday, 14 December 2015 19:20 (eight years ago) link
The track order seems chronological in some places but not in others. Here's my guess at the chronology of the unreleased tracks -
Oatmeal - pre I cannot lie/ AYDCatacombs Cow Cow Boogies - Catacombs era obviesTraffic of Souls - Catacombs era (his voice, the production and instrumentation)The State Will Take Care of Me - Wit's End era (his voice, the tape hiss and instrumentation)An Other - Humor Risk (Very reminiscent of mystery mail and the power pop style of other songs from that era)
Thoughts?
― Griff_Doge, Monday, 14 December 2015 21:18 (eight years ago) link
Tim - I messaged you but not sure if you got it, when I went to the PM page I noticed an email address was missing.
― Griff_Doge, Tuesday, 15 December 2015 17:48 (eight years ago) link
saw cass play on thursday and he is slowly morphing into a jam band act. he had two drummers! and lots of extended jams and some pretty great guitar solos by dan iead. i wish cass would solo more i like his guitar playing a lot.
also his record with the skiffle players is coming out next month! https://theskiffleplayers.bandcamp.com/
― mizzell, Sunday, 10 January 2016 19:14 (eight years ago) link