Cass McCombs - A (Monitor, 2003)

Cass McCombs
A
Monitor
2003

Rating: 7 alphabetaerobics out of 10

Well, color me stupid. When I got this Cass McCombs CD in the mail to review I was certain that it was a female. Whenever I hear the name Cass, I guess I always think of Mama Cass, or that lady that used to cut my hair growing up. Imagine my surprise when I press play only to hear a man’s voice come out of the speakers; and a really nice voice at that. There’s a quality to his voice that I can’t quite describe, but I really like it. He reminds me of a less dramatic Rufus Wainright, but I have this unsinkable feeling that he really reminds me a lot of someone else, I just can’t place it right now and it’s driving me crazy.

If you had told me that Cass McCombs is some long lost sixties troubadour, I would probably believe it. This record sounds like a relic from the same era as The Kinks or The Zombies or The Small Faces; and more importantly, it doesn’t sound contrived in coming across this way. I’ve heard a lot of stuff the last few years that is trying to sound like it was recorded ages ago, and it ends up sounding like the aural equivalent to fake wood paneling – it might look the part if you get it in the right light, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s fake. If I had to compare the sound to anything contemporary, the best I could muster is a local San Francisco band called The Papercuts (who everyone should check out if they get a chance, they’re great) or possibly Kingsbury Manx; and although he doesn’t really sound like them, fans of The Shins would probably really like this record.