“No more cliché songs,” Cass McCombs sings on Cry, one of Mangy Love’s many standout tracks. “Nothing less than every ounce of your heart.” It’s a maxim he’s held himself to for a long time now, releasing nine albums in the past 12 years that showcase a rigorous approach to songwriting and a deep well of inspiration. “No gold for bards, no laurel enough to bushel into a bed,” he sings over an anthemic, ringing guitar riff that punctuates Cry’s low-key groove. The implication is clear: the path of the truth-seeking artist does not lead to money or fame, and the work is its own reward – or it damn well better be.
Mangy Love, his first album for Epitaph imprint ANTI, is resolutely contemporary on its own terms. It is songwriting that somehow avoids feeling songwriterly, undercutting its own sophistication with crassness, borrowing liberally from a broad range of genres, and unafraid to occasionally wander into the Jam Zone. McCombs is generous in the space he makes for others, and much of the joy of listening to the record comes from the inspired performances of the assembled cast: Angel Olsen, Lilys’ Kurt Heasley and Reverend Goat Carson gorgeous guitar solos from Blake Mills brilliant percussion from Joe Russo.
At a time when many musicians seem eager to gain currency from identity politics and sociopolitical events, Mangy Love satisfies by being rooted in a nuanced observer’s perspective. Run Sister Run is refreshing in its frank exploration of the limits of being a male ally to women facing systemic injustice. Bum Bum Bum meditates on the ways violence permeates mundane experiences, with a stoic humour that is both resigned and determined not to walk away. There’s a sense McCombs is both the mirror and the lamp, able to present a world view that is illu-mi-n-ating and reflective, and he draws power from a perspective that feels at a remove from the world while remaining indelibly shackled to it.
Top track: Opposite House
Cass McCombs plays the Horseshoe on October 26. See listing.
