Listen: Cass McCombs' "High Life"

Cass McCombs's breezy alt-country sojourn in Tip of the Sphere is as sublime as you would expect, incorporating elements of indie folk and Americana (I Followed the River South to What) in a more thoughtful, reflective tone. But at the same time it remains on the periphery, giving the prolific singer/songwriter an opportunity to stray off the well-beaten track, blending lush instrumentation with saxophone and disorienting synths (Tying Up Loose Ends), making it an immensely rewarding listen. The experimentation comes full circle in Real Life, where McCombs does something unusual: enhancing the soothing melody by a subtle use of classical Indian percussion instrument, a quietly pulsating tabla drum, that injects a new vitality to the piece, imbuing it an almost mystical touch. But at the four-minute mark, the beat accelerates, transforming what was a dreamy number until then into an altogether whole new beast. It's beautiful!