After a flurry of quick digital releases in 2008, Paul Westerberg has been quiet this year. Until now. Tuesday brought the release of another digital offering, an EP titled P.W. + the Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys The EP title derives from one word from the titles of each of the six tracks. As with last year's releases, there is no supporting information. It sounds like another one-man-band affair, though the fidelity is higher than on those recordings. Has Paul invested in a home studio?

As with much of what he has released on his own through Amazon.com, this is strong material. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is his strongest release since Stereo/Mono in 2002. He has released good songs since, of course, but everything since has had its share of filler. Here, he offers six strong tracks that cohere very well as a whole.

One difference in this vs. 2008's releases: You can get this one on CD. The cost is $6.98 vs. $3.89 for the digital download, but you do get different artwork (the CD artwork is on the right above).

His output during 2008:
--49:00. One 43:55 track with more than 20 song snippets. July 2008
--"5:05." A single (whose time, when added to 49:00, actually equals 49 minutes). August 2008
--3oclockkreep. Two-song EP, with a 20-minute mash-up (the title track) and the track "Finally Here Once." August 2008
--"Bored of Edukation." A single. September 2008
--D.G.T. A three-song EP: "Always In A Manger," "Streets of Laredo" and "D.G.T. " December 2008

Here is a track-by-track look at the EP:

1. Ghost on the Canvas - An acoustic guitar-driven mid-tempo ballad. Some nice guitar lines and a bit of channel separation give his a, well, slightly ghostly timbre. Westerberg's drumming often gives his songs a shambling, reckless quality, but here a bit steadier beat would do wonders. Still, the sound of this offers a clarity that makes it considerably satisfying.

2. Drop Them Gloves - From the opening cry of "Hit it!" this feels like the kind of by-the-numbers rocker Westerberg has been cranking out in varying degrees of fidelity since his solo debut. This would fit snugly on Stereo/Mono thanks to the chugging beat and right hook of a riff. The mournful harmonica is a nice touch, and the entire track has a tough defiance that perfectly echoes the lyric about fighting back.

3. Good as the Cat - Westerberg has really established a sound. As this song kicks off, any number of past tracks come to mind, all thanks to the acoustic shuffle beat. Consider this a slowed down "Dyslexic Heart" with a similar wink-and-nod lyric: "Baby, I am what I am. Don't hate me for that. Lately, seems like you don't give a damn, just treat me as good as the cat." Songs this effortless lead one to believe that Westerberg could crank out tunes like this all day.

4. Love on the Wing - The EP's longest track, at 5:27, is a piano ballad that feels like a Suicaine Gratifaction outtake that evolves into a peppy acoustic pop song that keeps the piano as it progresses. That instrumental variety is a nice touch, and shows that Westerberg could stand to offer a bit more in these basement concoctions.

5. Gimme Little Joy - Another acoustic pop number. It's solid, if unremarkable, which is probably a fault of the sequencing, if anything. If it replaced "Ghost on the Canvas" at the start of the EP, it would have set a better tone and would seem a bit fresher than it does here after three solid tunes.

6. Dangerous Boys - A perfect closer, a rattling little tune that adds a jaunty gait to Westerberg's arsenal (which up to this point was limited to a full-out gallop and a tasteful shuffle). The percussion begins as a lone handclap in an echo-laden room, which is strange, but works. Drums and bass come in on the second verse, giving the song a nice bit of momentum.

Labels: music, Paul Westerberg