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Editorial Reviews
Callahan is back! Eessentially an ensemble recorded live in the studio, Callahan's Apocalypse is the corpus delecti. Something happened here! If tape is like meat, this record is the whole hog! Callahan, riding on the back of his band, corrals them all & guides them single-handedly through the valley with love & ferocity. This record makes us wonder what has really happened in the last 100 years, & what will happen in the next 10. The soul of your country called and left you a message. 7 messages.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
In some ways "Apocalypse" is less accessible than a few of his other
albums. For most parts it's a stripped down affair, it's occasionally
distorted, and the arrangements are not as gorgeous as those on his
last release "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" or "A River Ain't
Much To Love", but after a few listens it grows on you, and I think
this holds togheter really well as an album.
A couple of the songs are jazzier than anything he has done before,
for instance "Universal Applicant" and "Bee's", with the flute parts.
Others have those surprising and unusual transitions that Callahan
handles so well; a small change of tempo, an unexpected twist,
a sigh, a whisper,"a couple of hoots, a hello and a f##k all y'all"!
He is one of very few artists that can make something quiet hit
hard, and make sparse arrangements sound like a full orchestra.
"Drover" is one of the standouts, it's the sound of the west
with an acoustic strum and climbing strings. This is a terrain
Calexico has visited a few times, but the prairie has never felt
this close. Nature, as on many of his greatest albums and songs,
is a felt presence on "Apocalypse"; rivers, deserts, horses,
cattle, valleys and mountains.
And as usual he delivers some incredibly clever and funny one
liners, among the grievous parts and the poetry.
The album closer, "One Fine Morning", is a STUNNING song.
One of the most hypnotic and beautiful things he has done.
Togheter with "Baby's Breath", "Riding For The Feeling", "America!"
and "Drover", it stands as the albums finest moment, and if there ever
was a funeral song, you won't find better opening lines than these:
"One fine morning I'm going to ride out,
just me and the skeleton crew..."
albums. For most parts it's a stripped down affair, it's occasionally
distorted, and the arrangements are not as gorgeous as those on his
last release "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle" or "A River Ain't
Much To Love", but after a few listens it grows on you, and I think
this holds togheter really well as an album.
A couple of the songs are jazzier than anything he has done before,
for instance "Universal Applicant" and "Bee's", with the flute parts.
Others have those surprising and unusual transitions that Callahan
handles so well; a small change of tempo, an unexpected twist,
a sigh, a whisper,"a couple of hoots, a hello and a f##k all y'all"!
He is one of very few artists that can make something quiet hit
hard, and make sparse arrangements sound like a full orchestra.
"Drover" is one of the standouts, it's the sound of the west
with an acoustic strum and climbing strings. This is a terrain
Calexico has visited a few times, but the prairie has never felt
this close. Nature, as on many of his greatest albums and songs,
is a felt presence on "Apocalypse"; rivers, deserts, horses,
cattle, valleys and mountains.
And as usual he delivers some incredibly clever and funny one
liners, among the grievous parts and the poetry.
The album closer, "One Fine Morning", is a STUNNING song.
One of the most hypnotic and beautiful things he has done.
Togheter with "Baby's Breath", "Riding For The Feeling", "America!"
and "Drover", it stands as the albums finest moment, and if there ever
was a funeral song, you won't find better opening lines than these:
"One fine morning I'm going to ride out,
just me and the skeleton crew..."
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Challenge it Presents. Maybe Bill's Most Accomplished Collection Yet.
April 11, 2011
Format:Audio CD
For the last decade, like clockwork, singer/songwriter Bill "Smog" Callahan has released a new studio record every two years. Over the decade prior to that he released, on average, about one studio record per year. Now quite deep into his run, the still-young 44 year old musician has issued one of his most complete works yet, the seven-song, 40-minute Apocalypse, his first batch of new songs since 2009's excellent Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle. It's mature, fully realized and unique records like this that make artists like Callahan shine above others as a true man of his time.
As you'd expect by now, the dark humor, startling wit and jaw-dropping poetic grace is all once again present, adding to the argument that Callahan (along with, in this writer's opinion, Will Oldham and the late Elliott Smith) is one of the three or four best songwriters of his time. And when I say songwriters, I'm mostly talking about lyrics here, as many of Callahan's songs, when simply put on paper and studied, read through as well as anyone ever - Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, John Lennon, etc. Like Oldham, Callahan is fairly weird dude hidden inside the guise of a dusty Southern throwback. His fatherly voice holding his eccentric songs together like duct tape, falling out of your speakers like the voice of some humble, riddle-teasing God. The voice of a seemingly introverted man, living deep in his own head, spilling bits and pieces of American life that take weeks - sometimes years - to decode. Sojourner cuts, I call 'em.
As always, the voice is deep and sprinkled with a kind of nuanced emotion that can at times really pack a punch. The arrangements here remind more of Smog's Supper than Callahan's other two studio records under his birth name, the rhythmic Woke On a Whaleheart and the downtempo Americana-ish Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle. The vibes change from one track to the next, never quite doing what you think they should upon first review, taking strange turns and utilizing some surprising sounds, such as a flute. As always (save for maybe on the straightly played Woke, a record I dearly love), Callahan's writing structure follows its own rules, changing tempos suddenly, twisting, then breathing down your neck as if Callahan is ready to stare you in your eyes. It all works quite well, though I could see new listeners finding their way to confusion at first.
Opener "Drover" starts things off strong, standing as one of the more accessible selections, driven by an odd mix of composed feedback and fiddle, nearly falling mute at the three-minute mark before building back up to an epic ending. And, I suppose, the word "epic" is fitting for this record, as all but one of the seven songs here pushes the six minute mark, closer "One Fine Morning" clocking in at almost nine minutes. Lead single (if that's what you want to call it) "Baby's Breath" is one of Callahan's cleverest compositions in years - maybe ever. To a casual listener the cut would feel simple, almost minimalist; listen closely and the details rise to the top - loads of them, all as unlikely as the last. All doing their part to support Callahan's abstract writing through a very efficient brand of construction.
Aside from the somewhat jazzy "Free," the only short song on Apocalypse, each song here feels like something of a stand alone work, as if Callahan approached these recordings one at a time, putting weeks - maybe months - of thought and tinkering into each one until he had a wholly unique composition. And, seeing as how this record was produced by Callahan himself, that very well might be the case. The result, to be frank, is strange. Strange and intensely focused. I'd even go as far as to guess that some folks - even longtime fans - might find Apocalypse to be a frustrating listen at first. Just hang in there; listen to the album a song at a time - get to know all the details and turns, ponder the words. Do that, and eventually, I promise, this one-of-a-kind record will fall together for you. Apocalypse may not be as accessible or repeat-worthy as Callahan's last few records, but it just might be his most accomplished work to date.
Check out more of my reviews at [...]
As you'd expect by now, the dark humor, startling wit and jaw-dropping poetic grace is all once again present, adding to the argument that Callahan (along with, in this writer's opinion, Will Oldham and the late Elliott Smith) is one of the three or four best songwriters of his time. And when I say songwriters, I'm mostly talking about lyrics here, as many of Callahan's songs, when simply put on paper and studied, read through as well as anyone ever - Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, John Lennon, etc. Like Oldham, Callahan is fairly weird dude hidden inside the guise of a dusty Southern throwback. His fatherly voice holding his eccentric songs together like duct tape, falling out of your speakers like the voice of some humble, riddle-teasing God. The voice of a seemingly introverted man, living deep in his own head, spilling bits and pieces of American life that take weeks - sometimes years - to decode. Sojourner cuts, I call 'em.
As always, the voice is deep and sprinkled with a kind of nuanced emotion that can at times really pack a punch. The arrangements here remind more of Smog's Supper than Callahan's other two studio records under his birth name, the rhythmic Woke On a Whaleheart and the downtempo Americana-ish Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle. The vibes change from one track to the next, never quite doing what you think they should upon first review, taking strange turns and utilizing some surprising sounds, such as a flute. As always (save for maybe on the straightly played Woke, a record I dearly love), Callahan's writing structure follows its own rules, changing tempos suddenly, twisting, then breathing down your neck as if Callahan is ready to stare you in your eyes. It all works quite well, though I could see new listeners finding their way to confusion at first.
Opener "Drover" starts things off strong, standing as one of the more accessible selections, driven by an odd mix of composed feedback and fiddle, nearly falling mute at the three-minute mark before building back up to an epic ending. And, I suppose, the word "epic" is fitting for this record, as all but one of the seven songs here pushes the six minute mark, closer "One Fine Morning" clocking in at almost nine minutes. Lead single (if that's what you want to call it) "Baby's Breath" is one of Callahan's cleverest compositions in years - maybe ever. To a casual listener the cut would feel simple, almost minimalist; listen closely and the details rise to the top - loads of them, all as unlikely as the last. All doing their part to support Callahan's abstract writing through a very efficient brand of construction.
Aside from the somewhat jazzy "Free," the only short song on Apocalypse, each song here feels like something of a stand alone work, as if Callahan approached these recordings one at a time, putting weeks - maybe months - of thought and tinkering into each one until he had a wholly unique composition. And, seeing as how this record was produced by Callahan himself, that very well might be the case. The result, to be frank, is strange. Strange and intensely focused. I'd even go as far as to guess that some folks - even longtime fans - might find Apocalypse to be a frustrating listen at first. Just hang in there; listen to the album a song at a time - get to know all the details and turns, ponder the words. Do that, and eventually, I promise, this one-of-a-kind record will fall together for you. Apocalypse may not be as accessible or repeat-worthy as Callahan's last few records, but it just might be his most accomplished work to date.
Check out more of my reviews at [...]
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By B. Harper
Format:Audio CD
A new Bill Callahan record is always an event as far as I'm concerned, even though I've yet to pick up his vinyl only live release from last year. After one listen, I felt 'Apocalypse' didn't really feel as personal as 2009's 'Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle' (for Bill or myself). But by about the forth spin, I think I may now like it even more. The line has always been blurred between what Bill releases as "solo" compared to what he released with his "band", but without question his solo stuff in general after packing up Smog has always been more cheery. It's still all Callahan after all. Of course if you're a fan, it's a must pick up, offering another seven tracks of sublime vocals/lyrics ("I'm a helpless man. So help me") and melancholy. Non-fans would be better to pick up 'Eagle' (or any Smog record) as a starting point over this one though probably.
At first it feels slightly short despite clocking in at a healthy 40 minutes, but songs like `Drover', `Baby's Breath' and `Riding for the Feeling' are worth the price of admission alone however. 'America!' is a fun quirky effort that reminds me of earlier Smog in some ways. But while there is nothing on there like `All Thoughts are Prey to Some Beast' or much of what made his last effort so special, 'Apocalpyse' remains an excellent release for the man.
At first it feels slightly short despite clocking in at a healthy 40 minutes, but songs like `Drover', `Baby's Breath' and `Riding for the Feeling' are worth the price of admission alone however. 'America!' is a fun quirky effort that reminds me of earlier Smog in some ways. But while there is nothing on there like `All Thoughts are Prey to Some Beast' or much of what made his last effort so special, 'Apocalpyse' remains an excellent release for the man.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 'Smog' is lifted. (LP)
I admit, I'm a recent convert to Smog/Bill Callahan. If you're like me and audition music on this site before buying, you'll like the promise of this lp. Read more
Published 1 month ago by SLS
4.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece
Why isn't Bill Callaghan more famous? This is an amazing record by an artist at the height of his powers. The vinyl recording is pretty amazing too. Recommended
Published 7 months ago by Dubhousing
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great voice
I first heard Bill Callahan on a very large SXSW artist compilation, a song called In Hindsight, and after hearing that song several times I felt compelled to find more and was not... Read more
Published 15 months ago by nozama
2.0 out of 5 stars
Title says it all.
I only recently discovered Bill Callahan, and bought his 2009 album "I Wish We Were an Eagle", which I thought was excellent and original, with memorable melodies, great... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Anne Pann
5.0 out of 5 stars
edgy, strange & disturbing folk/Americana
4th album under his own name from former leader of Smog--softly sparse but edgy, quietly
strange & oddly disturbing folk/Americana, where Callahan's uniquely compelling... Read more
strange & oddly disturbing folk/Americana, where Callahan's uniquely compelling... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Charlie Quaker
5.0 out of 5 stars
A look behind the veil......
Where have I been?
Too much Bach? Too much Dylan?
I just learned of Bill Callahan thru a recent NPR interview with him about Apocalypse; I order it from Amazon. Read more
Too much Bach? Too much Dylan?
I just learned of Bill Callahan thru a recent NPR interview with him about Apocalypse; I order it from Amazon. Read more
Published 21 months ago by videoman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Harder than previous albums
I'm listening in loop the latest album of Bill Callahan, and was a big fan of Smog before. One reviewer mentioned it was a harder album than the previous ones, and it's true... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Luc Renambot
5.0 out of 5 stars
The American Gothic?
This album is my first exposure to Bill Callahan and his music, and I was totally mesmerised. You can literally hear the wind coming across the plains as he sings, and I'm... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Julius Oosthuizen
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