Cass McCombs’ ninth album, Tip of the Sphere, is a delightfully rambling blend of vintage 1970’s California rock sounds which evoke the likes of Tim Buckley, Gram Parsons and the Grateful Dead along with touches of prog rock, country, jazz and Latin music. This latest seems like part of an evolution that began with 2014’s Wit’s End and Catacombs followed by the acclaimed Mangy Love (2016). Here we still find his socio-political observations well-honed and filtered through his unique perspective and musical talent. Album highlights include: the track about an imminent apocalypse in “Sleeping Volcanoes”; the heartbreaker “Absentee”; the dreamy, lovelorn tribute to Latin artist Juan Gabriel on “Estrella”; an account of a 19th-century train heist in “The Great Pixley Train Robbery”; the gentle country-tinged “Tying up Loose Ends”; and the improvised rock jam “Rounder.” As always, a new Cass McCombs album is a real treat and an excellent listen! – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Bill Callahan, Steve Gunn, Cotton Jones, Kevin Morby, Phosphorescent