[1] If One of These Bottles Should Happen to Fall, released in 1999, was produced in New York by Scott Miller, a California pop musician who was McCall's "musical hero".
[6] Many of McCall's songs contain references to New Jersey politicians; examples include "Dear Governor Kean" and a litany of names mentioned in "It's Not The Money, It's The Principle".
"[7] In contrast to the opening track, "Janie Abstract" depicted present-day "strip highways and commercial retrofitting of old retail establishments, class conflict, fragmentation, the haves and have-nots of modern technology, misrepresentation and aggressive development plans, postmodernity.
"[8] Harrington added that McCall's "self-deprecating manner" and his "jovial, and thus more philosophically insightful" approach to songwriting and performance "upsets people's notions about what a 'folk' singer constitutes," as did the early Bob Dylan.
"[2] In contrast with the desired impression of ferocity, Brooklyn music journalist Michele De Meglio categorized Shootout as "an ode to bubblegum pop infused with the musician's synthpunk" in "a record completely focused on the art and architecture of New York and New Jersey.
[1][10] In the music magazine Delusions of Adequacy, Justin Vellucci's review called Shootout a "frighteningly addictive mix of synthetic pop soundscapes, club-ready electronica, and quirky rock freakouts":[11] There's a lot on display here, from disco-tinged funk exercises ("Dancing to Architecture", "Go Back to West New York") and AOR-friendly electro-pop ("A Commuter's Prayer") to Devo-inspired rock insanity ("The Man From Nantucket", "The Night Bus"), Latin-influenced fare ("Robert Menendez Basta Ya!
McCall and company manage to carry the torch notably on each of the record's self-described "musical impressions" of Hudson County, showing a willingness to play with the light-hearted side of the material — as well as the genres they're referencing — while still taking it seriously as artistic content.
"[11] In The Record, music critic Barry Gramlich cited the album for its "cheeky lyrics" and "sardonic wit," writing that McCall's work "could be juxtaposed next to the opening-credit scenes of The Sopranos.
[14] In Newport News, Virginia, the Daily Press wrote that the song "critiques the hipster-infested neighborhood in Brooklyn by comparing it to the Peninsula's own 18th-century-style historic village," quoting McCall's lyrics: "There's a place not too far, you can travel there by car, it's a freaky live-in theme park and a town...
"[15] "The Hymn Against the Whiskey", initially seeming to display a "puritan strain in McCall's thinking," instead resolved into a "ruminative" entreaty filled with the singer's "pain at watching a close friend" unable to overcome alcoholism.
names the song "The Werewolf of Bretton Woods" as a 2006 favorite, citing its "enchanting, almost-too-brief electric piano riff" and "coolly sung, charismatically arranged hip-hop narration.
The album opens with "WFMU", a paean to college and independent radio that "builds from catchy trip-hop to a blazing chorus metaphorically loaded with unease, one rapidfire mot juste or double entendre after another.
[19] "Sugar Nobody Wants", in which the protagonist suggests breaking into an office supply store for the night, "endorses petty thievery and vandalism at a variety of unloved Jersey locations as a sort of what-the-hell morale booster for all concerned," in what the lyrics called "candy-assed forms of civil disobedience.
[20] Music journalist Paula Carino described McCall as a "first-rate wordsmith" writing with a "nuanced, exasperated love for his home state", who "packs a novella's worth of keenly observed details into every song.
"[19] Carino identified a consistent trend going back to McCall's "brilliant 1999 debut... highly melodic, piano-driven songs with intricate (but rocking) arrangements and insightful lyrics.
"[19] Lucid Culture called McCall an "unsurpassed" lyricist, likening him to Elvis Costello and Aimee Mann, and praising his differentiated use of sarcasm and irony in songs with a "defiant populism... often surprisingly cheery considering the underlying grimness.
[5][22] In addition to his solo work, Tris McCall is a member of the Brooklyn-based indie pop band Overlord, led by George Pasles.
Perceiving that print publications in Hudson County were failing in their music coverage, McCall attempted to fill the gap with his web site, with low expectations that his viewpoint would be popular.
[1] For two years early in his career, prior to becoming an independent writer, McCall was a researcher and analyst for a management consulting company that worked with nonprofit organizations.