Max Clarke, the singer and songwriter behind
Cut Worms, wasn't so sure how he felt about the big old world on 2020's
Nobody Lives Here Anymore, an expansive double album that examined various forms of personal and social malaise, wrapped up in arrangements that allowed his country influences to have their day.
Clarke is still troubled with ennui but of a decidedly different and more manageable kind on 2023's
Cut Worms, which in many ways is a left turn away from the previous LP's sound and spirit. While
Nobody Lives Here Anymore ran an epic 77 minutes,
Cut Worms is significantly more compact, making its way through nine songs in 35 minutes.
Cut Worms sounds in no way rushed; it holds on to the languid feel of
Clarke's best-known work, but it does so without dawdling, and while the occasional pedal steel guitar pops up here, these songs are dressed up in arrangements that recall several varieties of 1960s pop.
Clarke revels in the sweet harmonies of "Is It Magic?," the very
Brian Wilson feel of "Living Inside" and "Use Your Love Right Now," the
Everly Brothers-influenced melody and faint harmony overdubs on "Let's Go Out on the Town," and the veneer of echoey atmosphere that permeates the album.
Cut Worms is committed to its sadness, but it's a sweet, comforting kind of blues that's aware the rain will stop in time and the sun will come out again. While
Nobody Lives Here Anymore was set in a world where the future holds few prospects,
Cut Worms is more concerned with affairs of the heart, and even when it isn't happy, it feels relatable, like a conversation with a friend about the less enjoyable stuff in their life. That doesn't make
Cut Worms sound like much fun, which isn't quite the case.
Clarke's songs are founded in seductive pop melodies with a rootsy undertow, and he, his studio band, and his production team have crafted an album that comes from the heart and emotionally connects with rare skill, in both music and lyrics. Having a down day?
Cut Worms may be just what you need. ~ Mark Deming
![I Love You, Honeybear [LP]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0098787111514_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "I Love You, Honeybear [LP]")
![Under Great White Northern Lights [LP]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0093624968245_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Under Great White Northern Lights [LP]")
![Turn Blue [Bonus CD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0075597955552_p0_v4_s90x140.jpg "Turn Blue [Bonus CD]")
