With Something/Everything, Jason Anderson, (from South Sutton, New Hampshire) has completed his third collection of Wolf Colonel songs, and it is certainly the most ambitious. This music is touching and gentle, yet ragged and torn apart at the same time.

Wolf Colonel is Jason Anderson. Jason Anderson is Wolf Colonel, dedicated to noisy pop rockin’ and granulated sugar hookery.

The previous Wolf Colonel albums, Vikings of Mint (KLP107) and The Castle (KLP114), were recorded in weeks–if not days– capturing concise snapshots of Anderson‘s developing vision and songwriting. Penning all the material and playing the majority of the instruments, the songs ranged from over-the-top power pop to stripped down acoustic introspection; all the while garnering interest and raves from Magnet, NME, the London Times and the Los Angeles Times. For two years, Anderson wrote over 100 songs, recorded three potential records — most of which were discarded — and toured the world alone, playing everywhere from Saskatchewan to Iceland. Casting aside the irony that permeated his earlier shows, the solo concerts became intimate, honest, and exciting affairs, where anything, and everything was possible. Rigorous traveling and passionate performances have started to carve out an ever-growing awareness of Wolf Colonel. For current fans, Something/Everything will be another triumphant step; for those not taken with Jason’s previous output, it should serve as a pleasant surprise.

Anderson worked with a variety of producers on this, including Phil Elvrum (the Microphones, Mount Eerie), Calvin Johnson, Adam Forkner (Yume Bitsu, White Rainbow), combining these varied studio textures with home four track recordings to come up with the best pop record of the year. From the out of balance “Break the News” to the floating “Astronaut, Astronaut”, the album glows with a relaxed confidence and sincerity. The album’s title is, in part, a smiling reference to Todd Rundgren’s opus, Something/Anything! and, like Rundgren, Anderson has created an ode to pop music with surprising depth. More than anything, Something/Everything is the sound of an ever-changing artist finding his voice. Straight up.

The digital version of this album is available from Bandcamp.

1. Astronaut, Astronaut
2. Moon Song
3. From Wisconsin
4. Break the News
5. One Thousand Ways
6. Citizen’s Arrest
7. Jet Ski Accidents
8. Sophomore
9. The Most Delicious Part
10. Now We Choose
11. That’s My Life
12. Thinking About You
13. The Goodbye
14. Bless Us Now