Golden Smog

Golden Smog was a Minnesota cover band that grew into a legit supergroup with a rotating roster of players, including members of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Big Star and the Replacements, along with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Another Fine Day is the band’s first release since 1998, and Tweedy’s role this time is a glorified cameo—he plays on fewer than half the tracks and shares only two writing credits (though he does contribute the gorgeous “Listen Joe” and a fine cover of the Kinks’ “Strangers”). This disc sounds more like an unreleased Jayhawks album than the long-awaited Golden Smog reunion, but no matter—it balances alt-country, power pop and old-fashioned riff rock, and songs like the Cheap Trick-y “Corvette” will make a swell soundtrack for long, late summer drives.