Tip Of The Sphere
by Cass McCombs

Tip Of The Sphere is a bit slow to get going. Opener 'I Followed the River South to What' is thoroughly unlikable. The same guitar plays for the run time, and the vocals aren't much more varied. It gets pretty draining after a minute and then goes on for another six.

Luckily things pick up after this, there's some good storytelling in 'The Great Pixley Train Robbery'; 'Estrella' is little bland but overall inoffensive; the backing synths on 'Absentee' almost sound like they're singing in duet with Cass, or sometimes going off on their own tangent which could be chaotic but the mixing keeps the structure from being damaged. Lead single 'Sleeping Volcanoes' is overtly political but does well to avoid the really blunt commentary that's all too tempting at the moment. It adds up to a track with equal parts of hope, sadness and disillusionment.

The next couple of tracks are similar in terms of having a calming repeated guitar line and rewarding lyrics if you don't drift off. 'American Canyon Sutra' shifts up the pace being anchored by light percussion and a single note on the bass. The lyrics are again expressing disillusionment but they have a sharper edge than those on 'Sleeping Volcanoes'. 'Tying Up Loose Ends' is the most emotionally impactful track here, with lyrics reflecting on the loss of connection to extended family, and more broadly connection to the past and the prior identities it carries.

The ten minute closer had me concerned considering how poor the seven minute opener was, but fortunately 'Rounder' outdoes its opposing bookend completely. There's more upbeat guitars that this time carry some impact when they repeat. It also features one of the stronger vocal performances of the album. It unexpectedly ends with a long instrumental passage which nicely closes out the album.

Tip of the Sphere may have a wobbly start but after this is out of the way it's a very calm and subtle record with great lyrics and guitar work. It maintains a feel throughout but the individual tracks are varied enough to make most stand out. Worth repeated listens for the lyrics if nothing else.