Paul Westerberg

Come Feel Me Tremble (Vagrant)
by Katy Shea

14 new songs, simple lo-fi, grainy, authentic, first takes coupled with a fan-filmed documentary bordering on the hagiographic, Come Feel Me Tremble comes to me begging for a critical eye. But really, there’s just so much on this album that reminds me not to be such a fucking critic and to appreciate why Paul Westerberg is, well, Paul Westerberg. The best word I could come up with is real. The songs are full of Westerberg’s compelling vocals, ranging in style from post-punk frontman to confessional balladeer. They’re not the best songs he’s ever written, but they feel so right and are truly outstanding with his “wet basement and a four-track” feel. “Meet Me Down the Alley” is the acoustic ballad that every alt-rocker in Austin wishes they’d written, and “Pine Box” bounces right back in the other direction: Visceral, hard, and insightful. Listening to this record, you can imagine being in the room and seeing him play these songs, and I understand what inspired the fan to roll tape and try to explain what it feels like. Paul Westerberg’s Come Feel Me Tremble reminds me what it feels like.
(2118 Wilshire Blvd. #361 Santa Monica, CA 90403)