Cass McCombs: Wit's End

Label: Domino

What does mystery man Cass McCombs mean by that title? Is this a veiled allusion to the end of his career? For who is wittier than Cass? That's right—started a review with three straight questions, and none need answering right now, because we have Wit's End in front of us. "On my way to you, old county," he sings to open the record (on "County Line"), and there's a heavy tone in his voice—sadness, regret, or maybe simply the tying together of several narrative strands—which he nonetheless does while sounding airy and light. Brilliant. Wit's End is without a doubt the slowest, deepest Cass we've heard yet: The shortest songs are more than four minutes long, and two are more than seven minutes (eight total). We could talk about his always-moving lyrics, but we could easily write for hours; instead let's focus on the sumptuous movement of his music, such as "The Lonely Doll," a slow, graceful waltz, and the piano-driven "Saturday Song," which dips down a bit deeper every time you think it's going to come back up to resolve its melody. Lyrics are included, and I might try to form a study group to discuss them. Cass McCombs, continue on, please...