So, Does Everyone Hate Cass McCombs?

"Laughter Is the Best Medicine" sounds like DMB

I feel like he's had trouble coming up with really nice vocal melodies since Catacombs/Wit's End. Catacombs is minimal AND has really memorable melodic vocal lines. He's settled on very similar sounding ones lately imo.

Saw him play basically an entire set of new material at Union Pool in Brooklyn a little while back. Material was much more rock/blues oriented than previous album but still strong. In the vein of "Mystery Mail". He mentioned the band had been in the studio.

Also, this is basically a dream come true:

https://www.jambase.com/article/full-set-video-phil-lesh-teams-cass-mccombs-grahame-lesh-alex-koford-ross-james

I would love to hear Cass McCombs sing either of the other Jimi Hendrix Experience title tracks.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/files/2018/10/cass-mccombs-tip-sphere.jpg
1. I Followed The River South To What
2. The Great Pixley Train Robbery
3. Estrella
4. Absentee
5. Real Life
6. Sleeping Volcanoes
7. Sidewalk Bop After Suicide
8. Prayer For Another Day
9. American Canyon Sutra
10. Tying Up Loose Ends
11. Rounder

Out Feb 8

after being ilx's resident cass superfan for a good bit, i have to say mangy love never grabbed me (i might not have even listened to it all the way through) and this new single isn't very promising, imo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJd_bd9vBFc

I like it! But he's definitely settled into a more narrowed vocal approach and delivery. Literally echoing myself upthread, but it holds true with this new single too.

after being ilx's resident cass superfan for a good bit, i have to say mangy love never grabbed me (i might not have even listened to it all the way through) and this new single isn't very promising, imo.

I felt the same way about Mangy Love. His first dud, I think. Still, I'll be ordering the deluxe edition of this new one.

Have you heard the newest Skiffle Players LP? I think it came out earlier this month. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to it. The first one was OK in that low-stakes, sort-of-supergroup kinda way.

Can't listen to this new single yet (I'm at work), but looking forward to hearing it tonight.

I'm into the new track. I agree that he seems to have settled into a specific vocal approach and delivery, at least with his solo stuff. I think it started on Catacombs. Although Mangy Love had Medusa's outhouse and Low Flying Bird which are sing almost entirely in his higher register. Mangy Love was worth it for Bum Bum Bum, Medusa's Outhouse and I'm a Shoe which start, end and anchor the middle of the album (not in that order).

The new skiffle is worth a few listens at least. The stand out cass track to me is Oakland Scottish Rite Temple Waltz. At least half the albums vocals are lead by another/other singer. The other cass lead tracks have moments but nothing like his solo material or the first skiffle album.

New Skiffle Players is pretty good, though most of the longer songs could stand to be two minutes shorter. "You'll Miss It When It's Gone" sounds exactly like a lost Byrds / Gene Clark tune. A lot of this just had me missing Beachwood Sparks. Do these guys play live?

Also, is that the cover art for the new Cass album above? because

https://goo.gl/images/m3pg9E

oops

https://threelobed.bandcamp.com/album/batholith

I love the first Skiffle Players record! 'Til Stone Day Comes was one of my favorite songs of the year. I don't know why really, it just relaxed me so much and was really nice in the car driving around upstate NY / rural NJ. I actually didn't know there was a new record! Thanks for the heads up.

"You'll Miss It When It's Gone" sounds exactly like a lost Byrds / Gene Clark tune.

Just checked this out- love it!

I like it too, but it'a little too on the nose imo

I thought Wit's End was spectacular and keep expecting him to do something similar but maybe it was always an outlier

niels - same but I do like his whole catalog. I have a hard time picturing him being that emotionally indulgent again.

Also, new things:
https://www.stereogum.com/2025732/cass-mccombs-estrella-take-away-show/video/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UoZmzighMM

Well, it's here!

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/31/689658416/first-listen-cass-mccombs-tip-of-the-sphere

The write up is good. She really knows her stuff.

Def my favorite album since Big Wheel. Lotsa jamming on this one. Absentee scratches the Wit's End itch in a big way.

Yep, great so far. Never did connect with Mangy Love but seems like he's back on track

I'm liking "estrella"

count me in the crew who never felt mangy love and is loving this new one. the beginning and ending jams are a blast.

I adore the single “Wine of Lebanon.” It is like Bel Canto pretty to me.

i'm still not into the last two albums (or wine of lebanon) but here is a great show from 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh_duzOrRZo

saw this pop up on discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/Cass-McCombs-Mere-Demos/release/12670944

a cdr he apparently handed out around 2001 called mere demos. needless to say very interested in hearing it. i can find no other mention of it on the internet. anyone know anything about it?

To all the McCombs fans - if you haven't already, be sure you check out the Blake Mills album that was released earlier this year, Mutable Set. Aside from it being my favorite album of the year, Cass McCombs co-wrote a bunch of the songs. He doesn't sing on any of it, but the overall vibe is not far from a McCombs album.

thx for the tip

Apparently there are many, many albums of demos floating around his friend group. I've kind of back-burnered PREfection and Writ in favour of Catacombs onward but I'm gonna pull those albums out today

I am quite into that 2016 show with some nice jamming upthread. He looks a little like Robert Forster (in the beginning of the thread the Go-Betweens were mentioned...), doesn't he? And his voice reminds me of someone else. Lawrence from Felt, anyone? A little stilted but I like it.

PREfection is a lovely album

I have this memory that I watched a video of Cass playing Dreams Come True Girl and the organ player goes off on a really really really long solo, like he's trying to push Cass or annoy him or something. Did I imagine this? Am I remembering the wrong song?

Yes the blake mills is quite good. You can really hear the cass in the first track. It’s the easiest for me to imagine as a pure cass song. That and the chorus of vanishing twin. My Dear One shares lyrics with a song he played on a pitchfork way back in 2012 called “More or Less”:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y1cdLW461k

God I’m a dork.

The new album by Cassandra Jenkins is excellent and really scratches that itch for new music from the other Cass. Check out the song “Crosshairs”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXAEULWPzw4

Reminds me quite a bit of "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac.

It seemed familiar but I couldn’t place it. Will listen again thinking about Everywhere.

beautiful little tune

Def hear Everywhere in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjQAx22SMA

haha a bit on the nose that, but enjoyable

Yes but neat execution for sure. Nice song!

Yeah, feels very unlike him but also...not?
Probably my favorite Cass song since 2013.

I started to lose track of his work when too much of his material traded in the vocal melodies in favor of a sort of speak-singing storytelling thing, and when he did this it was with a very similar cadence. I missed the distinct vocal melodies circa Catacombs. He never got bad imo but the shift meant I was paying less attention. Going to keep an eye on this release though.

"The Wine of Lebanon" is the best piece of branded content of all time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH9qJxTB5oU

new album is great, getting ryley walker vibes

saw him live, excellent stuff, he really has a great catalog by now

new album very blue, very good

i think this is a new song? sounds really good. bummed i missed all his recent shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YDdMtdncM

Definitely new. Loved his last album (no respect in the ILM top 77 was criminal!).
Catacombs has been getting a lot of spins by me lately too. A timeless classic, desert island pick for me.

Catacombs is my favorite of his. “Harmonia” is probably my favorite song of his, any album.

Every year it’s gets a few spins and every year I get a new favourite song. My sister my spouse is 2023’s hit for me, though yeah harmonia had that place for a while