It's lonely out there on the maroon

The Minus 5: (The Gun Album)

Sometimes buying albums online causes problems. Two particular problems occurred after my purchase of The Gun Album off eMusic. First, the cover is all black and looks awful if you try to print it out on regular paper so I had to spend extra for photo paper. Second, when the group is known for its use of guest musicians, you don't have the information about who's appearing on each track.

Actually, when it comes to listening to the album for the first time or two, not thinking about all the special guest stars makes it easier to enjoy the album for what it is and not for the presences of Wilco! Colin Meloy! Kelly Hogan! Peter Buck! etc. etc. Of course if I want to write a blog entry about the album, I have to come off as vague and ignorant.

This album was a solid "eh" upon first and second listen, but after not listening to it for a while and putting it on again, it really sounds a lot better. It's got a solid alt-country rating of 82 Tupelos and maintains a musical consistency throughout the lineup changes and guest appearances from song to song.