Cass McCombs: Next Steps

After emerging with his debut EP in 2001, this singer and guitarist proved to be an unusually restless artist, rarely staying in one style for long. Yet even as he shifts between guises—alt-country troubadour, winsome pop songsmith, psych adventurer and maker of brooding chamber rock in the style of friends like The National—McCombs’ personality is clear, thanks to the steely intelligence and depth of feeling he brings to every song.