So, Does Everyone Hate Cass McCombs?

I voted for Heartmind pretty high but unfortunately no-one else on ILM did. "Karaoke" is such a beautiful song. I really love "Estrella" from Tip of The Spheres too which is another totally slept-on album of his. As is Mangy Love from 2016! There's a lot of soul stylings on that one that really work well. It took me a while to come around to Wit's End. Its pretty dark and one-note. I'm in agreement with most here that Catacombs is his classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2FM4zuAlNI

Cass has always been an incredible vocalist, and I knew the bridge of this song was incredibly difficult vocally, but seeing someone else try it really gives some context to how much he kills it.

Perfect song for a harp cover too!

I do think that his vocal melodies really toned down after around Catacombs by and large. His vocal delivery approach narrowed and lots of songs ended up sounding kinda samey as a result.

Windfall is the polar opposite of that problem, as demonstrated there

On the other side, windfall has always bordered on the offensively saccharine for me. I still love the song because its really the only saccharine song in his discography, so its worst qualities are balanced out by the rest of the work (I think I'd have no time for this song by anyone else). His wide vocal stage were definitely still there for Wit's End. County Line, Memory Stain (a top 5 Cass melody), buried alive/the lonely doll/hermits cave/pleasant shadow song.... so really everything besides a knock upon the door and saturday's song.

Windfall also has to be one of his only songs with a third section! It's normally always either A or A-B. Amazing how much putting a bridge in a discography without them makes the song sound completely out of character. The more time I spend with Cass's music, the more I grow to love his "one section repeating over and over" songs more

A return to a wider vocal range on his new album too. Love the vocal harmonies on Karaoke. The wandering, where the hell is this melody going? vocal lines on Music Is Blue. Every track is interesting vocally, it's the instrumentation and production that I haven't fell in love with on Heartmind (except for Karaoke, a cracker track)

enjoy reading your thoughts

I never considered Cass a strong singer, in the sense that his vocals seem a bit fragile or... well, they're very understated... but they work perfectly, live too

can't put a finger on the instrumentation, my favorite from Heartmind is A Blue, Blue Band

Wit's End kinda his masterpiece, no? got a vinyl copy. haven't listened to him/it in a long time. pressing is sadly a little loud/surfacey at the beginning of each side. and a little loud otherwise. in that way of modern vinyl. still sounds good though. i do think "County Line" is his best song but the whole album is nearly as strong. i don't know if i have the inner fortitude to do a Cass deep dive right now but this album will do for now.

i got this copy from a musician i know named nat baldwin. he's very nice. he makes cool avant garde music. has a tape label. he just got his Masters! he's moving to town from a couple of towns over. anyway, he sold me a crate of records - which was a very hip crate - and he had a bunch of singer/songwriter LPs that i had never heard. Wit's End was one of them. and of them was put out by my friend Teddy on his Feeding Tube label and somehow i missed it - Ted usually brings me in a big box of FT releases to sell every blue moon - and I think anyone here would really like it. Ned Collette - Old Chestnut. it's REALLY good in a late-60s/early 70s folk-psych vein. it reminds me of a lot of not-famous british singers that i like a lot. anyway, check it out. came out in 2018.

i started this thread 19 years ago and i'm still listening to the Casster! the Cassaroonie! MC Cassie Cash!

Thanks for the Ned C. rec, Scott--going to give a full listen, but on first flip-through that synth arpeggio incorporation on Track 2 is tastefully surprisingly/well-integrated into the folkiness IMO!

Nat Baldwin seems like a v cool fellow indeed--first heard of him through his Dirty Projectors membership.

As an intermediate Cass listener/fan I'd rec next getting into Catacombs and then Big Wheel, maybe?

(Oh, I now grok that you've already heard a good am't the Cassster and are re-listening, gotcha)

i like Catacombs a lot. i could see that being someone's fave Cass. that has such great songs on it. i wouldn't mind having that on vinyl. 2XLP.

still listening to Wit's End and "Buried Alive" is up there for me too. sounds so good. the guitar especially.

I remember "Memory's Stain" really blowing me away, too--am in need of a relisten myself!

Have only cherrypicked/skimmed through his Anti- output in recent years, am now thinking I should attempt to give those later albums some (mangy) love

don't sleep on Tip of the Sphere!

gotta agree wit's end is impeccable

Scott, have you ever listened to this? Cass is in this group:

https://theskiffleplayers.bandcamp.com/album/skifflin

that Skiffle Players album never clicked with me. I kinda want to sell it, given the prices it seems to get.

I saw him play a small intimate gig with Steve Gunn last Thursday. They did a gorgeous psychy rendition of "Wild Mountain Thyme".

Skifflin'! oh man no i didn't know about that one.

"County Line" is one of my favorite songs.

that Ned Collette album i praised above is kinda like the new Taylor Swift. the first LP is perfect and all you need out of an album and then some. BUT if you want more there is a 2nd LP.

The “Coo Coo Bird” cover is good! I like the Skifflin’ album

I don't know why exactly but this one really gets me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWX09AivQGk