Reading

Oh Mama, Cass!

Previous Story
Article Image

Local Original Affordable: A Holiday Shopping Gui [...]

Next Story
Article Image

An Interview with MAP Imprint Artist Nathan Danil [...]

A Review of Cass McComb’s “Big Wheel and Others” by Betty Davis

Twenty two tracks creates 85 minutes of music, a veritable everlasting gobstopper of an album.  And if you’ll indulge me in metaphor… Cass McComb’s newest album plays that way too. It gets off to a good start but pretty soon you’re feeling a little tired and wondering if it’s going anywhere. At some point you might even be ready to risk your precious enamel to chew through it.  Or, maybe you lose the flavor half way through and wonder whether or not to continue.
The title tune and first musical track, “Big Wheel,” kicks things off with a nice rambling shuffle.  But the groove is lost somewhere around track 10, a nine minute long head scratcher entitled “Everything Has To Be Just-So.”  And there are 12 more tracks to go… “Big Wheel and Others” feels like an awfully long ride.
If you decide to get off the bus a this point you’d miss some professional work and solid playing.  Cass and company are tight in their sessions and set a mellow, thoughtful mood.  The surprising instrumental “It Means A Lot To Know You Care, “Brighter!” (with and without Karen Black), and “Honesty Is My Only Excuse” are a couple personal faves.  On these tracks, the ensemble achieves a balanced combination of clarity and fuzz, pep and pensiveness.
But the length of the album puzzles me.  As does the addition of the interview snippets with Sean, a young boy, which punctuate the album.  The long track list is overwhelming and makes it easy for songs and ideas to become lost and the interviews don’t contribute to the cause. They interrupt any continuity that might draw the composition together more.

“Big Wheel and Others” is a big listen with a lot to say… if you can hang in for the entire ride.

If you want to experience Cass McCombs in person with local band Arbouretum, head to the Ottobar this Saturday, December 14. Tickets available at MissionTix.

* Author Betty Davis loves music. She does not believe that the world needs another cover of “the weight.”
Related Stories
Exhibits featuring Rebecca Strzelec, Rebecca Marimutu, Rosa Leff, and Kelly Walker

Rebecca Marimutu’s "Portraits (Contact),"  Rebecca Strzelec’s "365 Grams," and Rosa Leff and Kelly Walker’s "A Fine Pairing"—at Goucher College, Baltimore Jewelry Center, and Creative Alliance, respectively—made me reflect on my relationship to myself, womanhood, and the women who shaped me.

Sapphire-Clad Guests Looked Divine at 2640

Photogenic Guests at the BJC's Annual Ornamenta Benefit

Baltimore news updates from independent & regional media

Six Baltimore Artists Selected for Acquisition by JHU, Joyce J. Scott interviewed about her BMA retrospective, Lane Harlan, Carlos Raba, and Rey Eugenio's Mexican + Filipino Pop-up, Monica Ikegwu on CNN's "Art is Life" segment, Mark Rothko works on paper at the National Gallery of Art, and more!

Pigeonaire's Immersive Show Lands in Peabody Heights Brewery Through March 31

Pigeonaire's production of Sailing Over a Cardboard Sea is a thoughtful reflection on the responsibility that scientists have to their societies.