Acclaimed collective The Minus 5, spearheaded by legendary musician and songwriter Scott McCaughey, returns with “Oar On, Penelope!” out May 30th on via Yep Roc Records. Produced by Scott McCaughey and mixed by engineer Ed Stasium (The Replacements, Ramones, Talking Heads), it is The Minus 5’s first album of all-original material in five years 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), Linda Pitmon (Baseball Project, Filthy Friends), and Spencer Tweedy.
The single ‘Blow In The Bag’ is released today and features a star-studded music video directed and edited by McCaughey himself and with cameos from Kurt Bloch, Peter Buck, Alejandro Escovedo, Nate Fassold, Patterson Hood, Debbi Peterson, Linda Pitmon, Chuck Prophet, and Steve Wynn.
Throughout the 12-song collection, McCaughey’s breadth of musical knowledge and appreciation is on full display from the addictive power pop of ‘Words & Birds,’ to the gnarly garage rock of ‘The Garden of Arden,‘ the Neil Young-influenced Americana of ‘Bison Queen,’ and the bite-sized psychedelia of ‘Sharktooth.‘ “The songs feel immediate, relatively unadorned, and somewhat more positive in an indescribable way,” says McCaughey. “The words could be termed stream-of-consciousness, which is nothing new from this sector, but there seems to be a ray of light fighting its way through the usual twisted tales.”
Over a four-decade career, indie rock cult hero Scott McCaughey has been a member of many bands, including R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, Baseball Project, Filthy Friends, and Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, to name a few, but The Minus 5 has remained one of the most enduring projects of his storied résumé. Suffering a near-fatal stroke in 2017, it was under the Minus 5 name that McCaughey put out the recordings of Stroke Manor, featuring the original songs that detail his recovery through music therapy. Formed in 1993 by Scott McCaughey, The Minus 5 has been known for a collaborative ethos and ever-changing lineup that has included some of the most celebrated names in music, from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco to The Decemberists, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie, Kelly Hogan, M. Ward, Chuck Prophet, Michael McCready of Pearl Jam, Alejandro Escovedo and many more, embodying the communal spirit that has been a hallmark of the band since inception.
“Oar On, Penelope!” Tracklisting
1. Words & Birds
2. Death the Bludgeoner
3. Let the Rope Hold, Cassie Lee
4. I Don’t Want to Hate Anyone
5. The Garden of Arden
6. Last Hotel
7. Bison Queen
8. Falling Like Jets
9. Burgundy Suit
10. Blow in My Bag
11. Sharktooth
12. What Shall Not Be Released
Here’s the single, play along with the spot the AUK favourite artist game!
