Cosmic America

We step forward into 2004 (or 2003, depending on how you want to approach it) for the next Cosmic America episode, and revisit Ryan Adams and his seminal gloom rock album Love is Hell. Originally refused by his record label and released as two EPs, the reconstituted album later saw the light of day, and stands as one of the highlights of Adams' career. Heavily influenced by the Manchester sound of the 80s, the album (and its seven-song bonus EP), it went largely unnoticed outside of rock criticism circles — but that's why we're here, 12 years later, to talk about it in more depth.