Oar On, Penelope! is the Minus 5’s first album of original material in over five years and features some of Scott McCaughey’s most trusted allies. He’s never sounded more inspired.
Cult hero Scott McCaughey is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest comeback stories. As a member of more bands than you can name - R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, Filthy Friends, Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3, to list just a handful - his underground and ever-evolving supergroup, the Minus 5, has remained one of the most enduring projects in his storied career. After suffering a near-fatal stroke in 2017, McCaughey documented his recovery through music therapy on Stroke Manor, an album released under the Minus 5 banner. Now, after half a decade, he’s back with Oar On, Penelope!, a 12-song collection that highlights his boundless creativity and love for collaboration.
Produced by McCaughey and mixed by legendary engineer Ed Stasium (The Replacements, Ramones, Talking Heads), Oar On, Penelope! features contributions from some of his most trusted allies, including Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), Debbi Peterson (The Bangles), Kurt Bloch (The Fastbacks), Linda Pitmon (Baseball Project, Filthy Friends), and Spencer Tweedy. McCaughey’s signature blend of styles is in full force, from the infectious power pop of “Words & Birds” to the gnarly garage rock of “The Garden of Arden,” the Neil Young-inspired Americana of “Bison Queen,” and the bite-sized psychedelia of “Sharktooth.”
The album's first single, “Words & Birds,” is a raucous ode to life, punctuated by cranky guitars and McCaughey’s unmistakable vocal delivery. “It’s all too beautiful, man!” he says of the song. “If not original, that sentiment seems important to me, to this record, to my world.” The track is accompanied by an animated video and features Debbi Peterson’s harmonies soaring over McCaughey’s surrealist lyrics: “Those impossible wings / Messenger that bring / Inexplicable songs / Purple twilight and dawn.” And in a rare concession, McCaughey decided to not put tambourine on every track, though Stasium made sure it landed where it mattered.
Formed in 1993, The Minus 5 have always been built on a communal spirit, with a revolving door of collaborators that has included Jeff Tweedy, the Decemberists, Ben Gibbard, Kelly Hogan, M. Ward, Chuck Prophet, Michael McCready, Alejandro Escovedo, and more.