I'm not too familiar with most of Bill's other work as Smog, but I plan to be after hearing this. Some reviews I've read have said that the songs recorded under his real name showed a stark contrast with his earlier, lo-fi folk recordings in both sound quality and subject matter. That being said, I think this album is somewhat of a return to form. Though there are many layers of instruments over Callahan's monotone vocals, the structures are simple, repetitive, and somewhat hypnotic while the lyrics capture some of the horrid feelings of despair found on the only Smog record I've heard, Red Apple Falls. Bill does a lot of interesting things on this album with the few elements he has at his disposal, including the Arabian sounds on "The Wind And The Dove" and the back-up choir on "Rococo Zephyr." He also uses his words as an important instrument, creating a profound build-up toward the end of "Too Many Birds" just by repeating elements of the phrase "if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat" over and over again, adding each new word one at a time until complete. Other notable tracks include the single "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" (which is surprisingly dark and atypical), the satisfyingly upbeat "My Friend", and the 9-minute closer, "Faith/Void."
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
There haven't been many good new albums lately (hence the lack of posts) but one of my recent finds has slowly grown on me: Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, the new disc from Smog's Bill Callahan.
I'm not too familiar with most of Bill's other work as Smog, but I plan to be after hearing this. Some reviews I've read have said that the songs recorded under his real name showed a stark contrast with his earlier, lo-fi folk recordings in both sound quality and subject matter. That being said, I think this album is somewhat of a return to form. Though there are many layers of instruments over Callahan's monotone vocals, the structures are simple, repetitive, and somewhat hypnotic while the lyrics capture some of the horrid feelings of despair found on the only Smog record I've heard, Red Apple Falls. Bill does a lot of interesting things on this album with the few elements he has at his disposal, including the Arabian sounds on "The Wind And The Dove" and the back-up choir on "Rococo Zephyr." He also uses his words as an important instrument, creating a profound build-up toward the end of "Too Many Birds" just by repeating elements of the phrase "if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat" over and over again, adding each new word one at a time until complete. Other notable tracks include the single "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" (which is surprisingly dark and atypical), the satisfyingly upbeat "My Friend", and the 9-minute closer, "Faith/Void."
I'm not too familiar with most of Bill's other work as Smog, but I plan to be after hearing this. Some reviews I've read have said that the songs recorded under his real name showed a stark contrast with his earlier, lo-fi folk recordings in both sound quality and subject matter. That being said, I think this album is somewhat of a return to form. Though there are many layers of instruments over Callahan's monotone vocals, the structures are simple, repetitive, and somewhat hypnotic while the lyrics capture some of the horrid feelings of despair found on the only Smog record I've heard, Red Apple Falls. Bill does a lot of interesting things on this album with the few elements he has at his disposal, including the Arabian sounds on "The Wind And The Dove" and the back-up choir on "Rococo Zephyr." He also uses his words as an important instrument, creating a profound build-up toward the end of "Too Many Birds" just by repeating elements of the phrase "if you could only stop your heartbeat for one heartbeat" over and over again, adding each new word one at a time until complete. Other notable tracks include the single "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" (which is surprisingly dark and atypical), the satisfyingly upbeat "My Friend", and the 9-minute closer, "Faith/Void."
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