Minus 5 - Minus 5

Minus 5 a side project? You do the maths...

Album Review by Jon Seller | 15 Feb 2006
Album title: Minus 5
Artist: Minus 5
Label: Capitol
The Minus 5 read like a who's who of the States' premier league of alt.rock with a cast of some twenty musicians including Peter Buck (REM), Jeff Tweedy, Glenn Kotche (both Wilco), Scott McCaughy (Tuatura, REM) and Ken Stringfellow (Posies, REM). The line-up serves them well on this, the collective's seventh album, with a solid offering of hook-laden ditties and clever wordsmithery. Standout tracks My Life as a Creep, With a Gun and Cemetery Row W14 reveal McCaughy as a songwriter of considerable prowess. A tip-of-the-hat to the Beatles is evident throughout, especially in the piano-based opener This Rifle Called Goodbye whilst Buck's trademark jangling throws up obvious comparisons to his Athens-based day job. Although the album runs out of steam somewhat in the second half, it is overall an accomplished and at times beautiful piece of work. Minus 5 a side project? You do the maths. [Jon Seller]
Out on Feb 6 http://www.minus5.com