I’ve always considered outtake albums to be the domain of big bands, or at least acts with a decent-sized and dedicated following, so the appearance of ‘Bigamy’ perplexes me somewhat. I mean, how many fans has Tim Kasher got, and how much did ‘The Game of Monogamy’ actually sell? He might be mates with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame, but really, does that count for anything where his own fan-base is concerned? Is there really sufficient interest to warrant a counterpart mini-album?
As it happens, ‘Bigamy’ (which, is all fairness, isn’t a main release, being available only on tour dates and via his website) is the better – and arguably darker, and richer – of the two releases, primarily because it seems Kasher taking the risks he didn’t take on the main album. Not that ‘The Game of Monogamy’ was a bad album, or even an album that lacked surprises, but from the guitar ruptures of the opener, ‘No Harmony’, via the ragged emotion-wrought vocal delivery on ‘Opening Night’ to the sparse and introspective ‘Lilybird and the Trust Fund Kid’, Kasher really lets go and lays himself bare.
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Whether he’s being quiet or loud, there’s a sense that ‘Bigamy’ is the real Tim Kasher at work – free, not concerned by public reception, playing the songs he wants the way he wants to play them.
Tim Kasher Online
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