keepers - 3
keeper avg .200
Though the performances and writing are casual to put it nicely, so is the work of any super-group I can think of. Interestingly, despite the fact that almost all the songs are credited to one writer (or one writer plus Kraig Johnson) all the songs are stylistically cohesive, sometimes to the extent that they sound same-y apart except for the unmistakable vocals of Gary Louris and Jeff Tweedy. Maybe it's not such a surprise that among my favorite tracks are the amusing pathos of Louris' "If I Only Had A Car"**** (with Johnson), complete with its shambolic Neil Young homage of a guitar solo. Louris and Johnson also contribute a surprisingly loud 70's funk influenced "Keys"****. Louris teams with old partner Marc Perlman for "Jane", which while nothing new creatively, is the prettiest song on this relatively unpolished album, though Johnson's "Making Waves" has a shy beauty. Dan Murphy's best contribution is the sweetly melodic "Reflections On Me"****. Jeff Tweedy's finest moment is the minimalist, folky "Please Tell My Brother", though on the rest of the album he seems to be phoning it in; maybe I need to look at it in the context of just having put out the sprawling Being There, and also working on the ground-breaking follow-up Summerteeth (which the jazzy "All The Same To Me" seems to be foreshadowing). While nothing here seems as significant as the individual artists' own albums, there are pleasant surprises throughout, like Tweedy's chaotic face-melter on Louris' "White Shell Road", the haunting intro of "Jane", or the twists and turns on Tweedy's "I Can't Keep From Talking". Not weird exactly but interesting enough.
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