Another Fine Day
Golden Smog‘s latest album, Another Fine Day is exactly the kind of album I should have purchased as a physical CD, complete with liner notes and inside sleeve art, instead of impulsively downloading bytes from the iTunes Music Store. I say that because I’ve read a few interesting anecdotes about the group that combines former members of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco—a compelling combination worthy of inspection itself, never mind the generous 15-track serving size.
And for all of the natural ingredients combined in the mixture (and I promise not to use the word supergroup), I’m a little surprised this endeavor didn’t turn into more of a twangy-filled sap fest or sound awfully over-produced. Instead, the majority of the album is a light and airy concoction of folk-inspired pop melodies that simply ring pleasant. There’s an under-the-radar quality reminiscent of R.E.M.’s Reveal, which makes it suitable music for twilight moods or a non-obtrusive soundtrack for changing seasons.
5-22-02 jumps out as the likely stand-alone single, but there’s plenty more to enjoy on this album. This is a group who’s learned to take long strides on their own over the past decade and half and it shows.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear them not oversell songs frought with emotional heartache, or delve too deeply into derivative imitation of their 60′s folk and alt/county influences. In the end, they come out with an album full of gratifying sounds, which highlights their individual style and influence without being over the top, as supergroup’s often apt to be.
Hey, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it may just be the next supergroup from Minnesota.
