Jeff Tweedy of Wilco brought back his Parks and Recreation character, Scott Tanner, for Mouse Rat’s upcoming release, The Awesome Album (via Pitchfork). They released the song “Cold Water” which features a solo by “Duke Silver,” the alter ego saxophonist of Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman. Offerman did not actually do the solo, however.
Tweedy made a guest appearance on the show in 2014, playing a musician who reunited with his old band, according to Consequence. (Yo La Tengo also made a guest appearance that episode fronting a Night Ranger cover band.) In the episode, Scott Tanner’s band joins the stage with Mouse Rat, the band of Andy Dwyer, played by Chris Pratt. That scene was the original debut of “Cold Water” and now you can listen to the studio re-recording.
The song sounds like it would fit nicely in a Wilco album, with Tweedy’s signature breathy vocals driving the melancholic tune. It’s layered with a warm mix of acoustic and electric guitars, and the saxophone solo adds a jazzy flair. Fans of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco might find themselves becoming Mouse Rat and Scott Tanner fans.
You can check out the lyric video for “Cold Water” here and listen to Mouse Rat’s “The Pit” here. The Awesome Album will be released August 27th on Dualtone.
