Albums to watch

Wit's End

Cass McCombs

Wit's End

Fifth LP from singer-songwriter McCombs, once called 'unobtrusively brilliant' by John Peel

ADM rating[?]

7.0

Label
Domino
UK Release date
11/04/2011
US Release date
19/04/2011
  1. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    You might come away from Wit's End feeling like you've witnessed a masterpiece, but you'll have a pretty hard time explaining why
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  2. 8.4 |   Pitchfork

    This record is a downer. But there's rare beauty in such darkness, too - just look at forebears like Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, and Nick Drake
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  3. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    An album that certainly is no soundtrack to a sunny day but is perfectly suited to a contemplative night alone
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  4. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Far from the title's implied despair, Wit's End sounds more like home, sweet home. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   Q

    Hard to get a handle on, but easy to love. Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |   Spin

    Canny poetry, soft arrangements, and crawling tempos
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  7. 8.0 |   The Fly

    Probably won’t feature in many annual roundups, but this is something to treasure for years to come
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  8. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    A little more light and shade wouldn't go amiss, yet even his dark side is eminently loveable
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  9. 8.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    McCombs is making music as if his soul depended on it
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  10. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    All of Cass McCombs’ deliberate ambiguities add up to a beguiling character worth shouting about
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  11. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    McCombs allows occasional flickers of light to peek into the blackness, and they seem to shine all the brighter
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  12. 7.0 |   Bowlegs

    An album of subtle power and blissful tranquility
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  13. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Genuinely pretty, moving in slow-motion through a wide range of acoustic texture and gently accompanied by McCombs’ hanging mid-range voice
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  14. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    McCombs has constructed a difficult and wandering album, an album of beautifully hushed insistence
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  15. 7.0 |   NME

    His reverb-laden sound makes him vaguely modern, unlike some folk artists
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  16. 6.9 |   Beats Per Minute

    We find McCombs again retreating from greatness, preferring instead to gallop along at an even pace, without the wow factor of which we know he is capable
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  17. 6.5 |   Prefix

    Few artists can create a musical world that listeners can dive into and lose themselves in
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  18. 6.0 |   Rave Magazine

    May be too much effort for some – but as ever, the rewards are there if you’re willing to enter the dark side
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  19. 6.0 |   State

    Interesting but uneven listening
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  20. 6.0 |   A.V. Club

    A wordsmith of great economy and precision
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  21. 6.0 |   Uncut

    So sparse and downbeat that it occasionally verges on the drab. Print edition only

  22. 5.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The best parts of his past efforts ... are dulled down here; nuances become hard to distinguish under the cover of repetitive, mournful piano
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  23. 5.0 |   Blurt

    The California-based musician has turned to a darker and moodier palette which too often falls into the traps risked by his approach
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  24. 4.0 |   Under The Radar

    Though littered with beautiful moments, WIT'S END feels suffocating in its repetition
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Cass McCombs: Wit's End

  • Download full album for just £7.12
  • 1. County Line £0.89
  • 2. The Lonely Doll £0.89
  • 3. Buried Alive £0.89
  • 4. Saturday Song £0.89
  • 5. Memory's Stain £0.89
  • 6. Hermit's Cave £0.89
  • 7. Pleasant Shadow Song £0.89
  • 8. A Knock Upon The Door £0.89
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