Audio By Carbonatix
You’re forgiven for approaching every supergroup with skepticism — even more so when a group’s first album was less than thrilling. Which brings us to Jeff Tweedy, Jim O’Rourke and Glenn Kotche. The three are back again as Loose Fur, and this time they got it right. Instead of a lightweight collection of half-baked experiments, Born Again in the USA is a pop-minded outing that does justice to the trio’s individual catalogues. The record kicks off with the off-kilter rocker “Hey Chicken,” followed by the AM-era alt-country swing of “The Ruling Class.” The clever lyrics of “Thou Shalt Wilt” reek of O’Rourke, but the Sesame Street groove suggests Tweedy at his goofiest. The dark, minimalist “Answers to Your Questions” and the sprawling “Wreckroom” keep the proceedings unpredictable without disrupting the continuity. Most remarkably, Born Again passes the test so few supergroup projects can: You’d keep listening even if you didn’t know who it was.
