#392: The EP Collection

Liner Note Author: Marshall Crenshaw.
Recording information: 05/15/2012.
Photographers: Bill Ellison; Todd Gay; Eric Drumwright; Daniel Burke .
Marshall Crenshaw decided to embrace the ever-shifting pop landscape of the new millennium by instituting a Kickstarter-fueled subscription series, wherein over the course of two years he would give subscribers a 10" EP (accompanied by a card for a high-quality digital download) consisting of a new song, a cover, and a re-recording of one of his old songs every few months. #392: The EP Collection compiles all the newly written songs from these EPs along with his covers of other artists (left behind are the re-recordings of his catalog). Sequenced so the originals arrive first (albeit in reverse chronological order) and the covers second (this time presented in order of their release), #392: The EP Collection holds together well as an album because all the music flows from the same source: well-crafted pop where his mature craft finds an effective counterpoint in his inspirations. If nothing here is especially lively -- Bobby Fuller's galloping "Never to Be Forgotten" and the Easybeats' "Made My Bed, Gonna Lie in It" come the closest -- there's nevertheless appeal in the warm, intimate surroundings Crenshaw conjures. It's casual but also assured, tuneful without being forceful, a nice reflection of Crenshaw's confidence as a craftsman. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine