Prefection
Cass McCombs is one of the finest songwriters working in pop today. His songs have compelling dronepop melodies reminiscent of early ‘80s New Zealand indie-rock (the Chills,JPSE, etc.) while vocally he’s capable of the whiney style one associates with "emo," but the boy can also croon like nobody’s business when he wants to. There’s a goofy whimsy to songs like "Bury Mary" that brings to mindHighway 61; other songs recall the moody, decadent pop of Echo and the Bunnymen'sCrocodilesor the Cure’sSeventeen Seconds. A lot more money was spent here than on his debutA, but the production's a little too muddy, as if he were trying for the Goth thing now that he’s on 4AD and lives overseas. McCombs has yet to really paint his masterpiece, but he’s a capital-A artiste worthy of full investigation.--Mike McGonigal