Oar On, Penelope! (Wine Dark Sea Swirl Vinyl)

Cult hero Scott McCaughey is one of rock n’ roll’s greatest comeback stories. As a member of more bands than you can name (R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, Filthy Friends, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 to list a few…), Scott’s underground and ever-rotating supergroup of The Minus 5 has remained one of the most enduring projects of his storied journeyman career. After Scott suffered a nearly-fatal stroke in 2017, it was under the The Minus 5 name that he put out the recordings of Stroke Manor, featuring the original songs that detail his recovery through music therapy.

Oar On, Penelope! is The Minus 5’s first album of original material in over half a decade and features help from some of his most trusted allies: Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), Debbi Peterson (The Bangles), Kurt Bloch (The Fastbacks), Spencer Tweedy and was recorded and mixed by legendary engineer Ed Stasium (The Replacements, Ramones, Talking Heads, you name it!). McCaughey’s breadth of musical knowledge and appreciation is on full display, ranging from addictive power pop (“Words & Birds”), gnarly garage rock (“The Garden of Arden”), Neil Young-influenced Americana (“Bison Queen”) and bite-sized psychedelia (“Sharktooth”). Scott McCaughey has never sounded more inspired, and that’s something to celebrate.