Tip of the Sphere

Cass McCombs - Tip of the Sphere
Critic Score
Based on 25 reviews
2019 Ratings: #261 / 805
User Score
Based on 157 ratings
2019 Rank: #518
Liked by 3 people
February 8, 2019 / Release Date
LP / Format
Anti- / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Tiny Mix Tapes

Tip of The Sphere, and I might be wrong, seems to be an album of unity in isolation.

90
The Sydney Morning Herald
Few can match McCombs' knack for combining accessibility with intellectual depth, and here the 41-year-old reaffirms his stature as a modern great.
90
Uncut
Represents McCombs' practised skill as a shaper of his own world, with pride in his craft, a deep respect for tradition and the drive to refresh it via his own, idiosyncratic iteration.
85
Northern Transmissions

Tip Of The Sphere is a dense album with a lot to say about the American Ouroboros, eating and recycling itself to no end.

80
Pitchfork

On his ninth album, the reserved bandleader incorporates more classic rock references than usual, but they’re the frames for subtleties and surprises within.

80
Q Magazine
There are moments in early listens of the album when the attention begins to meander, only to be drawn back in by a lyrical quirk, or a sudden musical volte face, so that by the sixth roll about the turntable this seems a wholly differently textured record to when you began.
80
The Arts Desk
The cranky Californian is back with his best album yet.
80
Dork

The quickfire recording process has led to by far his most consistent, and finest, record to date.

80
The Observer
California maverick Cass McCombs evolves from gnomic troubadour to musical seeker of truth on his engrossing ninth studio album.
80
Mojo

Tip of the Sphere's greatest riches, though, lie in McCombs' mystical, questing songcraft.

80
The Line of Best Fit

Within the LP’s musings, we as listeners look to him as he maintains a sense of worldliness and top-tier deftness as a songwriter and within those wonders and expectations, he invites us along as we get the chance to engage with his particular, introspective vision.

80
DIY

He’s playing on his own terms, and the end result is a near flawless documentation of the end of times.

80
PopMatters

Nine records and counting, McCombs is as magnetic and unmistakable as ever.

75
The 405

With Tip of the Sphere, he indulges more than ever in extended Grateful Dead-evoking jams, whimsical narratives, dream-like reveries and outré production choices.

75
Spectrum Culture

McCombs’ music is in some ways difficult to define, since he at times sounds like he holds the listener at arm’s length, with music at once intimate and impersonal. But Tip of the Sphere, as with so many of his albums, is a mystery well worth contemplating.

75
Under the Radar

The album, a charmingly rough-edged collection of sincere alt-country rambles and experimental grooves, is less topical and lush than 2016's Mangy Love but contains more personality and continues McCombs' hot streak as America's best folk singer/songwriter.

75
Paste

Despite its front-loaded tracklist and one song that sonically doesn’t fit, Tip of The Sphere is great for both the casually-interested listener or the seasoned listener looking for something to slowly melt into and later pick apart.

70
Rolling Stone

It’s deceptively chill music that, like most of McCombs work, honors the past while steeling itself for the future.

70
Loud and Quiet

Though figures like Ryley Walker might be marking the same territory but with more edge and darkness, McCombs is one of the most masterful proponents of Americana working today.

70
American Songwriter

The production, arrangements and overall audio are beautifully crafted, McCombs’ askew concepts are, well … intriguing, and this hour long album is another impressive notch in the belt of a talented artist.

70
AllMusic

While a potential gem for certain Grateful Dead-philes and possibly off-putting to some even well-established fans, the album's diversions, textures, and McCombs' particular way with words should appeal to more than merely the Garcia set.

60
The Skinny

Tip of the Sphere is a record that never quite seems to find its feet despite having a plethora of creative and interesting ideas.

60
Clash

This album is a black-belt in terms of song writing and instrumentation…but when McCombs’ lyrics can’t match up, ‘Tip Of The Sphere’ sounds like it’s limping.

60
NME

The Californian acoustic king noodles away to himself on this sporadically breezy ninth album, apparently oblivious as to whether you’re listening or not.

Doofy
81

Tip of the Sphere?

Top of the Pile! :D

tinymusiccritic
77

On ‘Sleeping Volcanoes’, the first advance single from Tip of the Sphere, Cass McCombs tells it like it is whilst sounding uncannily like Sultans of Swing-era Mark Knopfler:

“Help us, Armageddon
[...]
We’re over it!”

It’s a prescient sentiment from a man who has always made a point of being out of step with the zeitgeist. Then again, misanthropy is timeless, right? We’ve always deserved to die. Sometimes we just deserve it a little bit more. And now ... read more

85

One of those albums that reveals itself slowly over multiple listens. This record is vast, complex, and, at its heart, utterly brilliant. It's got a slow vibe all its own, and the songwriting here puts McCombs' years of experience on full display.

kumohs
NR

a moon shaped pool if it was good

NR

there were a few good songs i just hate his voice <3 but i think i need to revisit

85

One of those albums that reveals itself slowly over multiple listens. This record is vast, complex, and, at its heart, utterly brilliant. It's got a slow vibe all its own, and the songwriting here puts McCombs' years of experience on full display.

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Added on: October 30, 2018