A Folk Set Apart: Rarities, B-Sides & Space Junk, Etc., by Cass McCombs, is now out on Domino Records. Comprising songs from 2003-2014. These are songs that will both satiate and perplex those already familiar with McCombs, while compelling and rewarding new listeners, pointing a way towards his back catalog. They showcase McCombs’ thematic and emotional diversity. A black mirror to his catalog, there are varying moments of reflection, madness, and dark humor. Also of politics. For all their differences, this collection of songs reveals the artist as navigator of avoidance. They have been culled from the various limited, rare sources from which they were initially released on different independent labels on both sides of the pond, now compiled by Domino. For the past decade, most of these have been next to impossible to find, and for the first time are now readily available.

In conjunction with the release of this collection of songs, McCombs is playing ONE special record release show on Thursday, January 7th at the Bowery Ballroom in New York. Additionally, today, he presents the video for “I Cannot Lie,” directed by Malcolm Pullinger. McCombs discusses it below.

“Alongside its original release on 7 inch in 2003, ‘I Cannot Lie’ appeared in the documentary ‘Following Sean’ by Ralph Arlyck. I had been a fan of Ralph’s work, and my friend Malcolm was working with him on the film and introduced us (I actually wrote some of ‘Your Mother and Father’ on Ralph’s piano). This video is an excerpt from ‘Following Sean,’ slightly reworked. These images from the Bay Area in 1969 still seem relevant today, especially the shots of protesters being beaten by militant police.”