Review of The Gun Album Album by The Minus 5
The Minus 5
The Minus 5 aka The Gun Album
Cooking Vinyl
Album Review
The Minus 5 are something of a ragbag of artists having a real go at Scott (ex-REM) McCaughey's songs. Here joined by (current REM guitarist) Peter Buck, The Posies' Ken Stringfellow, and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy among others, the eponymous album (well, it's called The Gun Album because of the picture on the cover) takes a meandering run through songs that could easily have been picked up from 60s/70s pop like the Beatles or Beach Boys, but it also takes on singer-songwriters like Ryan Adams at their own game, with sensitive ballads between the pop-rock. There's no doubt that this is all rather more compelling than anything REM have done in a while, but, if there's a flaw, it is perhaps that it is all just a bit unfocused - it sounds like a grab-bag side project. Ideas sometimes come across as unfinished, or just OK (which is possibly worse).
3/5
Mike Rea
Adult Contemporary Essentials
Site - http://www.minus5.com
