GOLDEN SMOG - Another Fine Day Review

Another Fine Day, the first album in eight years by alt-country supergroup Golden Smog — which includes Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and the Jayhawks' Gary Louris, among others — doesn't sound very country at all. That's not surprising, since over the past decade both Wilco and the Jayhawks have weeded out some of their rootsier inclinations. But while Golden Smog's attachment to country may have waned, their commitment to fine songwriting has only strengthened, as proven by the brass-backed ''5-22-02,'' their cover of the Kinks' ''Strangers,'' and the garage rock of ''Hurricane,'' a contribution from Soul Asylum guitarist Dan Murphy....full text A lot can change in eight years, and that was certainly true for the roots-rock supergroup Golden Smog, a coalition of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and several Minneapolis alt-rockers, including Gary Louris and Marc Perlman of The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum guitarist Dan Murphy, and Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run. The Jayhawks and the Westies broke up, Soul Asylum nearly did, and Johnson moved to Spain. But the bonds of friendship kept the Smog thick, eventually resulting in Another Fine Day, the group's first outing since 1998's Weird Tales....full text It’s not until the fourth song of Another Fine Day when Golden Smog finally appears, for the first time, as a real band. For years the collective—moonlighting members of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Big Star, Run Westy Run and Wilco—has put forth erratic strains of genius that epitomized the capricious charm of a “supergroup....full text