Cass McCombs Explores Life at the ‘Tip of the Sphere’

Cass McCombs has been making music for nearly 20 years, continuing to reinvent himself across a prolific span of nine solo records. His latest (the ninth), Tip of the Sphere, finds his curiosity fully intact. The ways McCombs plays with sonic dimension defies restraints of any genre — rock, pop, jazz, or otherwise. It is also one of his headiest works, as he immerses himself in the energy and empathy of his surroundings.

You can sense the touch of Sam Owens (aka Sam Evian) on the production of Tip of the Sphere, with a dreamy veil over McCombs’ songs. There’s the hypnotic, fluid repetition of the guitar melody on epic album opener “I Followed the River South to What,” a mystic, anonymous journey through crowds of people. And there’s the earthy, sun-drenched softness of “Estrella,” which describes a haunting love from the past. Or there’s the vibrating reverberation of guitars behind McComb’s smoky, low voice on “Sidewalk Bop After Suicide,” wherein he sings of a profound connection to a place that has essentially become part of him.

McCombs’ warm vocals have a way of soothing, even when he’s singing about being in chaos, like on “Sleeping Volcanoes.” It’s a song about destruction and legacy and identity, but McCombs handles it with cool ease and makes it one of the album’s catchiest. On their own, his lyrics read like intricate stories or poems. His songwriting should be mindfully consumed, even when his instrumental arrangements make you want to close your eyes and float away on a cloud.

A standout on Tip of the Sphere comes with “Prayer for Another Day.” It is the kind of otherworldly, peculiar treat only Cass McCombs can dream up. The way he creates a multidimensional sound will have you giving this tune repeat listens, with steel guitar up front and vocals a sheer layer underneath, and percussion echoing somewhere in the distance. It feels like we’re getting a brief glimpse into the inner workings of his brain, and it’s exactly where we want to be.