CASS McCOMBS - Humor Risk

April 2011's Wit's End may have edged out this even more recent entry from Cass McCombs as far as inclusion in our Staff Best of 2011 list went, but it could be argued that with an added pep and immediacy to its riffs leavening his oft-odd lyricism this time around (nevermind that there are riffs to be found on this more-rock-than-folk outing), Humor Risk could be the more approachable album of the pair.

"McCombs must be given credit for his ability to surprise; Humor Risk, his sixth album, comes only seven months after Wit’s End and could not possibly be more different despite sharing producer Ariel Rechtshaid and a handful of collaborators. In fact, it’s practically Wit's End's inverse; it offers the same number of songs, yet trades its predecessor’s icy austerity for warmth and motion, making it a welcome surprise from a musician who proves himself less and less predictable with every record." - Coke Machine Glow

"It’s very evident that Wit's End and Humor Risk have two different feels. Although Wit's End is more cohesive atmospherically and production-wise, Humor Risk is the better representation of McCombs as a songwriter in the 'classic' realm. His folk-rock approach never sounds stale, and when it does, it’s always due to strategic repetition." - Obscure Sound