New Homes Never Ending

Cass McCombs “County Line”

There was a time, very long ago now, when a song like this could’ve been a radio hit. Now that seems inconceivable — it’s far too delicate, way too slow, much too subtle. As far as new music goes, we’ve banished all that from the airwaves. Even still, this sounds like something you should hear in a car at night moving along some long stretch of nowhere. It sounds like something that just comes on, and you surrender to its mood. You might not even notice it at first. Maybe it’s McCombs’ gentle falsetto that gets you, or the atmospheric, nearly subliminal organ drone that carries throughout the song. It could be the way these perfectly toned guitar notes ring out at just the right moments but are otherwise entirely silent. For me, it’s the precise tone of the lead organ. That sound is sparingly used too, but its character nearly defines the entire song for me. It’s like falling in love with a painting for the perfect hue found in just a few brush strokes.

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