The dark ‘Humor’ of Cass McCombs

If dictionaries defined words through soundtracks, then the word “melancholy” would probably play Cass McCombs when looked up. Clad in morose tones and lazy tempos, McCombs’ second 8-track LP of 2011, “Humor Risk,” is less comical and more gloom. To fans, it could mean more to love.  

Like an effective tantrum, McCombs draws attention to his latest work by being loud at the start. Kicking off with “Love Thine Enemy,” which is probably his most coherent track on the album, McCombs leaves a Cobain-ish taste in the mouth. The rest of the album has McCombs mumbling in a repetitive yet never monotonous way, throwing in striking piano riffs, overloaded harmonies and offbeat wordplay. “The Living Word” and “The Same Thing” are musically crowded while hauntingly appealing in their lyrical simplicity. 

For those who enjoyed his first album of the year, “Wit’s End,” “Humor Risk” promises just a tad more cheer, as seen in the track “Robin Egg Blue.” However, it isn’t any more insightful into McCombs’s dark persona, as he still stays cryptic as ever.