Heartmind Cass McCombs

• 1Music Is Blue04:49
• 2Karaoke03:41
• 3New Earth04:11
• 4Unproud Warrior06:33
• 5Krakatau04:58
• 6A Blue, Blue Band05:34
• 7Belong To Heaven04:11
• 8Heartmind08:28
• Total Runtime42:25

Info for Heartmind

On Heartmind, Cass McCombs enters the double-digit-album phase of his career, a quantitatively rarified place for any songwriter; rarer still, though, is the fact that he does not yet seem to have settled into a qualitative sound or pattern, of singing the same thought twice (or perhaps even once). Songs like "Karaoke" are a god-level burst of powerpop perfection, as fetching as anything Cass has ever cut. The springy staccato guitar, the vaporized electric keys, the melody seemingly born for singing or clapping or dancing along: Cass triangulates a perch of his very own out among The Go-Betweens, The dB's, and The Cure,and vibrates there, a beacon. And then, of course, there is the song's playful if painful lyrical conceitthe lover who is making all the sacred motions of commitment but whose feelings may be no more deep or real than someone simply reading the lyrics for "Vision of Love" or "Stand by Your Man" from some crowded bar's TV screen.

There are, at least, some basic facts to share about Heartmind, logistical evidence that may in turn shape your own questions: Cass recorded these songs in multiple sessions on both coasts, in Brooklyn and Burbank. The great Shahzad Ismaily not only cut the staggering "Unproud Warrior" and four others here but also played lots of bass. Buddy Ross tracked "New Earth," a paean of post-humanity renewal with several sharp wisecracks. Ariel Rechtshaidnow a dozen years into his collaboration with Cass, which began with 2009's Catacombscaptured Cass' scintillating guitars on "Belong to Heaven," a thoughtful consideration of what we all lose when we lose an old friend to the inevitable end. The steadfast Rob Schnapf (who previously produced McCombs' ANTI- debut, Mangy Love) mixed and merged it all. Wynonna Judd (yes, that one) offers harmonies, while her beau Cactus Moser provides some lap steel. Joe Russo, Kassa Overall, Danielle Haim, Nestor Gomez are featured on the album, too.

Cass McCombs, guitar
Shazad Ismaily, bass

Cass McCombs
Over the past decade, Cass McCombs has established himself as one of our premier songwriters. It’s a career that’s twisted and turned, from style to subject, both between records and within them. His new record, “Mangy Love,” (8/26, ANTI) ventures into realms of experimental soul, twisted psychedelia, and straight-up rock, resulting in a sound that articulates his live show better than ever before. Thematically, it’s far darker, tackling heavy issues through McCombs’ uniquely cracked lens of (oftentimes hilarious) lyrical wit and acumen toward subtlety. Hip-hop and Beat poetry influences have never been more evident, with several songs employing a speech-style and clever fast-paced wordplay. There are guest appearances by many fellow musicians of his tribe ranging from Angel Olsen to Blake Mills, under the production of veteran Rob Schnapf, and the overall result is his most immediate and upbeat record to date.

This album contains no booklet.