Cass McCombs - A Folk Set Apart


Cass McCombs
A Folk Set Apart
2015
Cass McCombs - A Folk Set Apart


To be perfectly fair to this record you first have to know that this is a collection of B-Sides and rarities collected by Cass from 2003 to 2014. Their has been some polish put on them and then put together for this record. Some of the tracks come across as just fucking around or maybe even taking one idea or one line of music to it's utmost limit. However there are little pieces of gold here, "A.Y.D." is not particularly creative musically in that the same chords are repeated again and again over the four minute song, but something about it connects. That really is the crux of the whole album, little pieces of goodness that perhaps aren't good enough for a real album but really work on this B-Side collection. Cass himself is a throwback to the sixties. The distortion, the production everything is from a bygone era. While many people try to recreate the vibe and style of the sixties Cass McCombs seems to embody them effortlessly. His music seems to be for those who refuse to give up their vinyl and would rather talk about what their Dads listened to rather than what is happening today.

One of the really powerful songs and also a harkening back to the protest songs during the Vietnam war is "Bradley Manning". The song recounts the sad life of Chelsea Manning who blew the whistle and released a great deal of information to Wikileaks. The fallout of Manning's heroism is not part of the tale but more what lead to him becoming disillusioned. McCombs has a style that really does not give a single fuck. He is willing to go where ever his creativity will take him. At times the album is completely folksy and down home then at the drop of a dime He is delving into the experimental but always with a strong sense Americana. If Bright Eyes never got sad this is probably what He would sound like. A Folk Set Apart is a pretty fun listen and if you have an hour plus to spare giving it a spin will be more than worth your while.

7.1 out of 10

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