An enigmatic folk nomad, McCombs is a quintessentially American artist; "he's quietly become one of (the country's) finest chroniclers of fringe characters, a writer of heart-rending love songs and psychedelic odes to the natural world, a teller of tall-tales with a sense of humor dry as desert wood, and that rare folksinger who actually sings about the folk." His vocals range somewhere between the anxious drone of Lou Reed, the hollow croon of Elliott Smith, the lilting melody of Morrissey, and the driving earnestness and complexity of bards such as Leonard Cohen or Bob Dylan. His lyrical style is alternately vivid and weary, laconic and yearning, or drifting into the high-spirited and whimsical.
After cutting his first EP, Not the Way in San Francisco in 2001, McCombs relocated to Baltimore, MD. There he released "Not the Way" in 2002 and recorded his first full-length, A, in 2003 on Monitor Records. He spent the next few years touring: playing All Tomorrow's Parties; and opening for bands such as Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, and Belle and Sebastian; before recording his second LP PREfection, which was released on 4AD in 2005.
McCombs' subsequent releases have been on the highly successful British independent label Domino Recording Co. 2007's Dropping the Writ was named one of Amazon's Best Albums of that year. Catacombs was voted one of the 50 greatest albums of 2009 by Pitchfork Media, and features Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Karen Black on the track Dreams-Come-True-Girl. During this period, McCombs toured with the likes of Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Band of Horses, José González, Beach House, and The Walkmen.
Catacombs also established McCombs' relationship with engineer/producer Ariel Rechtshaid, member of The Hippos and Foreign Born, who produced Grammy-winning hit Climax for Usher, the Plain White T's Grammy-nominated No.1 platinum-selling single Hey There Delilah, and albums for Vampire Weekend, Sky Ferreira, Snoop Lion, and Haim, among others.
In 2010 McCombs played Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, L.A.'s Culture Collide Festival and Invisible Children Benefit. 2011 offered an extensive headlining tour, an appearance at SXSW, and two albums released by McCombs and produced by Rechtshaid: Wit's End in April and Humor Risk in November. The two albums were made simultaneously. In an interview with Pitchfork, McCombs explains: "Wit's End was started years ago and it slowly made its way to the finish line. Humor Risk was just punched out. They're friends but they're different. Wit's End is like a stew; Humor Risk is the raw food diet."
Big Wheel and Others, McCombs' seventh full-length (and first double album) was released in October 2013. The album is rooted in the Americana mythos of the Wild West, from the San Francisco drug culture to the gunslingers and gold rush of the nineteenth century. The album once again features Karen Black on a version of the track Brighter!, her final recording before passing away due to ampullary cancer in August, 2013. Big Wheel is dedicated to her memory.
http://cassmccombs.com
Brighter!
Cass McCombs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brighter, star
Brighter, genius
Brighter, guitar
Brighter, candle
Brighter, flame
Brighter, scandal
I stopped in for a little while
And warmed up to the thought
I wandered off a little while
Expecting to be caught
Brighter, goddess
Brighter, hate
Brighten and bless
Curse nature and fate
Brighter, criminal
I hope you escape
Brighter, mineral
Illuminate
I stopped in for a little while
And learned a host of sins
I wandered off a little while
Because you can’t never win
All eyes move to thee
All eyes aren’t born free
All eyes want to see
Incinerate me, angel!
Brighter, Albert
Brighter, Mark
Brighter, Katherine
Brighter, Clarke
Brighter, Katie
Brighter, Joe
Brighter, Aaron
The fire aglow
I stopped in for a little while
And threw in the evidence
I wandered off a little while
Resequencing events
The Cass McCombs song "Brighter" features a repetitive and melodic refrain of various things becoming brighter. The song is a commentary on the nature of human desire and how people often seek to improve or make things more intense. The opening verse features the lines "Brighter, Venus // Brighter, star // Brighter, genius // Brighter, guitar," which alludes to the way that people strive to reach for the stars and achieve greater heights. The subsequent verses mention other things like candles, scandals, goddesses, and minerals, all of which become brighter over time.
McCombs also touches on the theme of sin and the idea that humans are doomed to repeat past mistakes. The lines "I stopped in for a little while // And learned a host of sins // I wandered off a little while // Because you can’t never win" suggest that even though people may seek to improve themselves, they are ultimately bound by their own nature and the limitations of the world around them. The song ends on a dark note with the lines "I stopped in for a little while // And threw in the evidence // I wandered off a little while // Resequencing events," which implies that the singer has given up on trying to change things and has resigned himself to a life of repetition and darkness.
Overall, "Brighter" is a complex and insightful examination of human desire and the way that it can both inspire and destroy us. Through its intricate lyrics and memorable melody, the song offers a profound reflection on the human condition and the challenges that we all face as we try to navigate the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Brighter, Venus
Venus shining brighter than usual
Brighter, star
A star glowing brighter than usual
Brighter, genius
A genius shining brighter with their intellect
Brighter, guitar
A guitar shining bright in the spotlight
Brighter, candle
A candle shining with more intensity
Brighter, flame
A flame burning with more brightness
Brighter, scandal
A scandal bring brought to light with more intensity
Brighter, infame
An infamous person's reputation being brought to light more intensely
I stopped in for a little while
The artist made a temporary stop somewhere
And warmed up to the thought
They became open to considering an idea
I wandered off a little while
The singer continued their journey elsewhere
Expecting to be caught
The artist anticipates being discovered for something they did
Brighter, goddess
A goddess or divine figure shining brighter than usual
Brighter, hate
Hate growing and becoming more intense
Brighten and bless
Something becoming brighter and more blessed
Curse nature and fate
Displeasure with nature and fate for the way things are
Brighter, criminal
A criminal becoming more notorious and visible
I hope you escape
The singer hopes the criminal escapes punishment or captivity
Brighter, mineral
A mineral or material shining brighter
Illuminate
Bring light to the darkness
And learned a host of sins
The artist discovered many wrongdoings or immoral actions
Because you can't never win
The artist is resigned to always losing or experiencing negative outcomes
All eyes move to thee
Everyone is watching or paying attention to a particular person
All eyes aren't born free
Not everyone has the luxury of being able to look or observe freely
All eyes want to see
People are curious and want to know more
Incinerate me, angel!
Desire for punishment or an intense experience
Brighter, Albert
Albert (could be a person's name or a reference to Albert Einstein) becoming more brilliant
Brighter, Mark
Mark (could be a person's name or a reference to a mark or impression) becoming more noticeable
Brighter, Katherine
Katherine (could be a person's name or a reference to something underhanded) becoming more prominent
Brighter, Clarke
Clarke (could be a person's name or a reference to author Arthur C. Clarke) shining brighter
Brighter, Katie
Katie (presumably a person's name) shining with a greater intensity
Brighter, Joe
Joe (presumably a person's name) shining with a greater intensity
Brighter, Aaron
Aaron (presumably a person's name) shining with a greater intensity
The fire aglow
A fire burning brightly
I stopped in for a little while
The singer made a temporary stop somewhere
And threw in the evidence
The artist contributed to a situation or provided evidence of something
I wandered off a little while
The singer continued their journey elsewhere
Resequencing events
The process of rearranging or reordering events
Writer(s): Cass Eugene Mccombs Copyright: Die Sect
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@backtoblackek
#lyrics
Brighter Venus
Brighter star
Brighter genius
Brighter guitar
Brighter candle
Brighter flame
Brighter scandal
Brighter infame
I stopped in for a little while
And warmed up to the thought
I wandered off a little while
Expecting to be caught
Brighter goddess
Brighter hate
Brighten and bless
Curse nature and fate
Brighter criminal
I hope you escape
Brighter mineral
Illuminate
I stopped in for a little while
And learned a host of sins
I wandered off a little while
Because you can’t never win
All eyes move to thee
All eyes aren’t born free
All eyes want to see
Incinerate me, angel!
All eyes move to thee
All eyes aren’t born free
All eyes want to see
Incinerate me, angel!
Brighter Albert
Brighter Mark
Brighter Katherine
Brighter Clarke
Brighter Katie
Brighter Joe
Brighter Aaron
The fire aglow
I stopped in for a little while
And threw in the evidence
I wandered off a little while
Resequencing events
Ou brighter
Brighter, brighter, brighter
Ou brighter, brighter, brighter
Ou,ou brighter
@diegosebastian2226
Discovered this dude on a 4 tab acid trip. Absolutely fucking fantastic. The whole atmosphere he creates is the perfect blend of comfort and psychedelic jitteriness. You just want to listen over and over and over again.
@316nicolez
I heard this song for the first time while I was really depressed and high drinking a martini at a vegan restaurant. It was a big mood.
@erichthedread4595
It’s hard to put to words the feeling that comes over me with this song. There are some tears, the kind you’d get from witnessing a black sheriff assisting a elder KKK member whose stricken with heat exhaustion while attending a rally of their own. It conjures up in my heart notions of humanity, the carnal arts, a longing, weariness, a forgiving, conviction a whole host of powerful feelings and one’s I’m still trying to understand. Yet it’s hopeful too, almost like falling in love. A damn good song. I feel in love with this one immediately upon hearing it.
@erichthedread4595
A dreamy, hands around her hips, her kiss on your breath slow dance song. And when strawberries never tasted sweeter.
@makesoundsnotloveyess2866
Singer song writer of the decade right here
@evenzero
genius, and not a lightweight contender
@JewellC85
This song makes me have pleasing feelings, no hurt feelings here! Thanks for posting it, Cass Mccombs can do no wrong, every single one of his songs is a gem..
@marianaRoxy
such an amazing song . im picturing this in my wedding . it should have so many more views
@arjun_was_here
Me too though i don't even have a girlfriend 😅
@andrewosbaldeston3893
This song is at the top of my list of memorial songs for myself. lol