Cass McCombs – Humor Risk (2011)

From CoS:

In April, singer-songwriter Cass McCombs released a truly minimalist and depressing album in Wit’s End. This November will see the release of McCombs’ second album of the year with the decidedly more musically upbeat Humor Risk.

Recorded in various homes and studios in California, New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. McCombs once again teamed up with Ariel Rechtshaid, who co-produced Wit’s End and 2009′s Catacombs, for this eight-track effort. According to press for the LP, McCombs hopes to paint a new side of himself, one not seen with our last look into the artist. “Humor Risk is an attempt at laughter instead of confusion, chaos instead of morality, or, as fellow Northern Californian Jack London said, ‘I would rather be ashes than dust!’. Musically, it is more rhythm-based, tempos swifter to nearly rocking, than the sparse Wit’s End.”



McCombs is also offring up the first taste of the album in “The Same Thing”, which is available for streaming below or for download here. As promsied, this sneak peek has a larger, more lush sound, but one that doesn’t remove McCombs’ solemn songwriting sensibilities in order to grow.