On this day in 2011, Cass McCombs stopped by the Daytrotter Studio in Davenport, Iowa to share the ruminative folk-rock that brought him critical acclaim. The singer/songwriter is known for his troubadour leanings, somber rock stylings, emotive voice and songs of leisurely beauty.
For this Daytrotter session, he played selections from his 2013 album Big Wheel and Others and his 2011 albums Humor Risk and Wit’s End. “County Line” reads like the perfect song for a prom slow-dance, “Robin Egg Blue” is a whimsical piano tune, “Angel Blood” looks back with fond nostalgia and “Chimera” glistens with a smoky, melancholy ambience.
McCombs’ latest album was 2016’s Mangy Love and at the time of its release, Paste contributor Eric R. Danton wrote, “Cass McCombs is shaking a big bottle full of bitter pills on his latest album, but they’re easy enough to swallow: the singer wraps his pessimism so deftly in beguiling musical arrangements that you hardly notice it at first.”
McCombs is set to release his latest album Tip of the Sphere next year on Feb. 8 via ANTI- Records. He also shared its first single, “Sleeping Volcanoes,” which you can listen to here.
Listen to McCombs’ Daytrotter session, recorded on this day in 2011 below.