‘I'M HOPING SOME PEOPLE THAT HATE SMOG WILL BUY A BILL CALLAHAN ALBUM'
Clear skies
He’s dropped the Smog moniker and seems more chipper than ever, but Bill Callahan still makes the most beguiling music anywhere, says Miles Fielder
y \vay ol a typically cryptic explanation. the
enigmatic American singer-songvvriter Bill
(‘allahan once said A in response to vvhat can only have been a helluva lot ol‘ queries about his vvilll‘ully opaque moniker Smog ~ ‘I live in smog.~
He may have done so tor the past l5 years and I: albums. but ('allalian doesn't live in smog no more. With his l.‘~th albtiiii he has ditched the Smog moniker in lavour ol' releasing the nevv long player under his oun name. (‘allahan reckons the logic for this vvas simple.
'.-\ nevvish start. .-\ cleanish slate. I changed the name before vvriting anything for the album. That was the lotindation til it. that it vvas all built on. I just grevv vvearisome from the Smog name. Also. I‘m hoping some people that hate Smog vvill buy a Bill (‘allahan record \vithout realising vvho I am. The looks on their laces vvhen they put the record on at home and it davvns on them. Priceless. Miles. absolutely priceless.‘
'l‘lie nevy record. lliiki' ()ii a ll'liu/v/icurr. enjoys as esoteric a title as any Smog album ever had. but vvhile his fondness for hitting the studio is unsurpassed. he still claims to prefer a live outing.
‘I like the physicality of playing live. So much of the \vriting part is just sitting dovvn. Playing live is like striding through the songs or running or tumbling through them as it they are landscapes. hills. oceans.'
()ne thing that's immediately apparent on lliike ()n u ll’liuli'licurr is that it is. frankly. happier than ('allahan's other work. The lo-li sound of his previous recordings has been replaced vvith a brighter. more polished sound. Similarly. the melancholia that
pervaded the earlier records has given vvay to vvhat might almost he termed l‘eelgood svvagger.
That’s not to say the record represents a completely nevv direction. hovvever. (‘allahan’s baritone vocals. his deadpan lyrical delivery. the cynical humour that underlines his songs. their ol'ten conl'ounding but
beautiful oblique poetry. and the musical l‘usion (it
pop. blues. folk and gospel. as well as more experimental electronic sonic surges. has not vanished. But the introverted and painlully intimate songs recounting childhood memories. dysl'unctional relationships. disturbing fetishes and abandoned hopes that have characterised (‘allahan's output this far. and prompted music critics to label him a depressive and
depressing. are no longer apparently the mainstay of
the artist's concerns.
For novv (‘allahan is concerned vvith the upcoming live shovvs. He's even recruited a nevv live band l‘or these outings and is enthusiastic about his nevv role as ringmaster. bandleader and party host.
“We had our first practice today. The men vs ere avvt‘ully cute and dear. I vvent to the grocery store alter it was over to buy some chocolate and Belgian beer to bring to the nest practice. It' the stull‘ lasts through the night. You see. I'm so very thirsty.‘
You can hear the vvry smile slovvly davvn on Callahan's lips at this point. He's less the morose troubadour these days. more the daddy. Perhaps he really does no longer feel like he lives in smog. liither vvay its good nevvs for us.
Arches, Glasgow, Tue 14 Aug.
Ari-Up She'll always be best known as the lead srnger of seminal grrrrl punks The Slits but now, club night Pretty Ugly welcomes her back Witha new band The True Warriors. who Will be playing new material plus the songs of The Slits With a heavy roots, dub and funk tWist. The Hold (underneath The Admiral Bar) Glasgow, Tue 74 Aug. (Rock 8 Pop)
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival Two-days of family- lriendly musical and cultural indulgence with a line-up covering indie. folk. blues, world and everything between. The Magic Numbers. Julian Cope. Amy McDonald, Peatbog Faeries and Tuung are among the highlights. Beau/y, lnverness, Fri" 70 8 Sat 7 7 Aug. (Rock 8 Pop) .- Jack Butler, Stopstarts and The Low Mifls August may be a lean old time for touring shows but it means the stages are clear for the juicy morsels from the local scene and this lineup of indie acolytes of varying shades and tones is a prime opportunity to indulge. Barf/y, Sat 7 7 Aug. (Rock 8 Pop) ' Dead Meadow Washington DC is where tripped out psych rock loons Dead Meadow call home. but in reality they are citizens of outer space. Tune in, wig out. Nice 'n 'S/eazy. Glasgow, Tue 74 Aug. (Rock 8 Pop)
' Bill Callahan See preview. left. Arches, Glasgow, Tue 14 Aug. (Rock 8 Pop)
1 Sixpopleaway, Andl Neate, David Nova and The Sweet Leave: A mix of compelling accoustic sounds with Andi Neate celebrating the launch of her new album Lion Taming for Astronauts. She also has a launch at Edinburgh' Jazz Bar on 13 Aug. Box, Glasgow, Thu 76 Aug. {Flock 8 Pop)
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