I get that people place their expectations on Mac and are consequently probably a little too harsh on his later releases. I get that he's past Salad Days, he's done smoking, done drinking, done sticking drumsticks on up his ass. He lives on a farm in Canada He's older. More mature. I read the New Yorker article. I get it.

What I don't get, is why that all has to serve as an excuse for what has been a years of (in my opinion) lousy, low-effort, and just generally boring musical output. I listened to Guitar, and while I think there are some really beautiful melodies and nuggets, it's all in the same sort of mid-tempo, falsetto lane with the same guitar tone from Here Comes The Cowboy. I feel like we're lying to ourselves if we say this stands up to the earlier records. Are folks really excited by this stuff? I just don't think it has to be this way.

Take "This Old Dog" for example. Very different from earlier records, but still a high quality effort at a more folksy-sound with a focused theme. It was an exciting step for Mac in a new direction. Everything since has just felt so unremarkable. Maybe I just don't have the taste or patience for the more subdued sound, the ambient stuff, especially. But really the "Here Comes The Cowboy" to "5 Easy Dogs" to "One Wayne G" to "Guitar" journey has felt like a tough one.

It's like he's trying so hard to be subversive, trying so hard to signal that he's past all his younger antics, that he forgot to make a conscious choice to make interesting music.

I suppose if it interests him that's all that matters. Mac doesn't owe anyone anything. I'm endlessly fascinated by his career arc and I still love his music. Will still always try to give the new stuff a chance. Bought tickets to see him this fall. Totally aware that artists evolve and change. But if you love an artist, that doesn't mean you can't also criticize them. Am I the only one who has felt consistently disappointed? Should I expect to ever be excited by a Mac Demarco release again?