Marshall Crenshaw decided to embrace the ever-shifting pop landscape of the new millennium by instituting a Kickstarter-fueled subscription series, wherein over the course of two years he would give subscribers a 10" EP (accompanied by a card for a high-quality digital download) consisting of a new song, a cover, and a re-recording of one of his old songs every few months.
#392: The EP Collection compiles all the newly written songs from these EPs along with his covers of other artists (left behind are the re-recordings of his catalog). Sequenced so the originals arrive first (albeit in reverse chronological order) and the covers second (this time presented in order of their release),
#392: The EP Collection holds together well as an album because all the music flows from the same source: well-crafted pop where his mature craft finds an effective counterpoint in his inspirations. If nothing here is especially lively --
Bobby Fuller's galloping "Never to Be Forgotten" and
the Easybeats' "Made My Bed, Gonna Lie in It" come the closest -- there's nevertheless appeal in the warm, intimate surroundings
Crenshaw conjures. It's casual but also assured, tuneful without being forceful, a nice reflection of
Crenshaw's confidence as a craftsman. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine