Last month, the usually-prolific Cass McCombs released his first solo album in three years, Tip of the Sphere.Our Song of the Day is the early single “The Great Pixley Train Robbery” – an exercise in songwriting as McCombs details a real-life train robbery that occurred in the 1800s.
Inspired by a California newspaper clipping from that time, the robbery consisted of three men who killed multiple people, including the train engineer and an unsuspecting passenger, before making out with everything they could lay their hands on and escaping.
Tip of the Sphere follows 2016’s Mangy Love. McCombs will play Chop Suey next Tuesday, March 26. Watch the video for “The Great Pixley Train Robbery, comprised of vintage clips of trains, robbers, and cowboys, below.
Finding good new music can be a full time job, so let KEXP help! In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery.
Host Emily Fox and KEXP’s editorial team talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.