| In today’s single-driven, attention-seeking, whatever-it-takes-to-get-famous music climate, Bill Callahan exists as an indisputable breath of fresh air*. Passionate, poetic and remarkably prolific, the baritone troubadour has now been at it for almost 20 years.
For his newest LP, the self-described "genre-less" Woke on a Whaleheart, Callahan has finally dropped the bewildering Smog (or stranger still, (smog)) moniker to emboss the album’s sleeve with his birth name. The album’s arrangements by Neil Michael Hagarty (Royal Trux), backing gospel-style vocals by Deani Pugh-Flemmings (Olivet Baptist Church), and violins by longtime collaborator Elizabeth Warren create an effortlessly timeless quality. However, for perhaps the first time in his career, the Maryland musician has crafted a collection of songs where the prevailing mood is positive.
"Funny thing is, I really think I wrote this album with little to no outside influence," says Callahan. "It wasn’t a conscious act to do that. But you often keep little touchstones in mind while you’re feeling out certain songs. You might say, ‘this is the song that sort of was spawned by the Black Crowes,’ and it ends up sounding nothing like that band. But still, they brought the song out of you somehow.
"Nonetheless, there was none of that internal dialogue for me on this record, with the possible exception of ‘A Man Needs a Woman or A Man to Be a Man.’ I think Neil realized this and turned it into a tribute to American music."
What hasn’t changed, however, are the mystical, simile-filled lyrics (with lines like "we gather like ravens on a rusty scythe/ just to watch such a little dove/ fly away," from "Honeymoon Child"), Callahan’s trademark half-spoken, half-sung vocals and the stripped-down tunes that will slowly get stuck in your head. Whaleheart is yet another rock-solid record.
Though he did earn fans when "Cold Blooded Old Times" (from the front-to-back fantastic 1999 album Knock Knock) was included on the High Fidelity soundtrack, Callahan is yet to produce an out-and-out hit. His highly reported relationships with the more commercially successful Chan Marshall (of Cat Power) and current girlfriend Joanna Newsom may be what keep his name in ink or html, but the sombre singer-songwriter seems less concerned with mainstream crossovers than continuing to create art he’s proud of.
"I think this’ll be another small potato of a record that a few people will deeply love in a sea of indifference," he says. "That’s my lot. I think if I made a record that was going to shake up the world, I would feel it in my gut. I think I make some of the best records going these days, but not music that is going to be very popular with the masses. Or the masseuses. It’s fine with me, as long as I can keep making music."
Another thing gained through his now three-year relationship with the harp-playing Newsom, who also accompanies him on piano on selected intimate live dates, is a renewed enthusiasm in serious musicianship.
"She loves to play her instrument and that, I believe, has rubbed off on me," says Callahan. "I think I’m trying to take the guitar more seriously because of her. It was also real inspirational to be around when she was constructing her last record, because it went through a lot of stages, a lot of work. I don’t have that patience or drive for perfection."
Callahan’s real charm comes from his candour, honesty and vulnerability. His are love songs, stories and laments, delivered in a time-honoured style ready to be passed down for the ages.
Callahan is not standing still. This album provides the latest entry in a long-running diary, and the name change of the author signifies many more weird and wonderful things to come.
"Changing the name is a reminder to myself, of changes that have been made," he says. "It feels real good to ditch the name actually, a fresh start. I had done Smog for almost 20 years, and I started to think about how crazy people are who keep a band name for decades. Think about it."
*Yes, this is an almost ridiculously ironic statement considering he released music under a portmanteau** of "smoke" and "fog" until 2005.
**Yes, I’m a massive word geek and, yes, I ripped off this whole asterisk idea from Chuck Klosterman. |
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