There are clear antecedents to this music, from the classic rock of the Beatles, the Who, and Led Zeppelin, and the sardonic wordplay of Elvis Costello, to the fury of PJ Harvey and Sleater-Kinney, to the delicate folk of Bert Jansch and Nick Drake. But it's not merely eclecticism; the record is tied together by a singular vision. One commenter said that it was essential listening for a mid-life crisis, and there is real sadness in some of the stories, but there's also humor, bragging, drunken embarrassment, career crises, and at least one gangster saga.