The Other in Bloomington, MN

In the lead-up to
Kyle Thomas
' fourth
King Tuff
LP, the songwriter/multi-instrumentalist found himself at home in L.A., run down from years of touring, and feeling more and more distanced from the good-time rock & roller persona he'd created.
Thomas
decided to reset in a few ways: He made an effort to write songs that he could play solo with just a guitar, he self-produced the tracks for the first time since his debut, and he recorded the songs in a newly assembled home studio. He also played many of the instruments himself, with the exception of drums (
Ty Segall
,
Charles Moothart
) and saxophones (
Mikal Cronin
). The only other guests on the album were his all-star backing vocalists
Jenny Lewis
Kevin Morby
Greta Morgan
, and
Segall
. Calling it
The Other
, his first album since 2014's Billboard 200-charting
Black Moon Spell
is still radiantly psychedelic and off the beaten path, but it's also conspicuously his most introspective to date. He sets the stage with the title track, a six-minute prologue he said is about "hitting rock bottom" and rediscovering inspiration. It opens with what sounds like a small, hand-rung bell, followed by solemn organ and acoustic guitar that act as an ostinato under
' half-spoken narrative. The album then mushrooms, so to speak, into a lava lamp-inflected, saxophone-bolstered groove on "Raindrop Blue," a colorful love song with lyrics like "You dazzled me with destiny and magnetized my mouth." Expansive arrangements built on funky basslines, vintage keyboards, and vibrant textures pervade the rest of
, which continues in kind. It's a more thoughtful, philosophical
, for certain, but
is far from a downer, with
' individuality and catchy pop sensibilities still intact. ~ Marcy Donelson