Blog Archive
- 2012
- 2011
-
2010
- December (21)
- November (24)
- October (35)
- September (37)
- August (34)
- July (26)
- June (20)
- May (26)
- April (31)
-
March (29)
- BRM HOT TUB?
- MISSIVES NOT FROM SXSW: THE TXT I GET FROM LYLE AT 3:20 AM LAST NIGHT.
- I CAN'T DECIDE IF I'M OVER CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE SEQUENCES A LA GAP ADS FEIST VIDEOS 500 DAYS OF SUMMER AND NOW THE NEW SHE AND HIM VIDEO. PLUS A NOTE ABOUT SXSW.
- CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME IF ANYTHING HAPPENED AT THE ANIMAL COLLECTIVE SHOW LAST NIGHT??
- Who Broke The Phone?
- February (31)
- January (25)
-
2009
- December (21)
- November (24)
- October (35)
- September (37)
- August (34)
- July (26)
- June (20)
-
May (26)
- A Troll With No Name
- Here's Johnny (sigh)
- Happy JV Day!
- BANK ROBBER TREND REPORT '09: THE NEW CATCHPHRASES
- BOWERBIRDS MAKE GORGEOUS NEW ALBUM!
- Craptastic Wednesday
- BANK ROBBER PSA: WE DID NOT GO SEE STAR TREK THIS WEEKEND
- EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN THE SEQUEL: Dinosaur Jr. / Superchunk
- Post Derby Blues
-
April (31)
- EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN: CORNELIUS!
- BANK ROBBER MUSIC DOES SUMMER FOOTWEAR!
- ARMY NAVY MAKE ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO SENDING UP THE PROCESS OF MAKING GREAT VIDEOS
- Pop goes the music (thank god!)
- Marathon Man
- FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: THE WOODEN BIRDS
- BANK ROBBER GOES TO THE CINEMA: TEAM LOVE EDITION
- BRM mixing the G with the OY
- THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART ARE READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UP
- AKRON FAMILY: A PHOTOSET
- Breaking News: Nada Surf Re-launch
-
March (29)
- BREAKING NEWS: YEAH YEAH YEAH'S DEFEND CRAPPY NEW ALBUM WITH PREDICTABLY IDIOTIC STATEMENT
- BREAKING NEWS: BILL CALLAHAN MAKES BEST ALBUM OF 2009. STILL SAD.
- Lost With Rockville
- A Old Man Goes To Austin
- THE OBLIGATORY EVERYBODY IS AT SXSW BUT ME POST
- HEY LOOK WE'RE AWESOME!!!!
- BREAKING NEWS: THE NY TIMES THINKS BISHOP ALLEN ARE "PROFESSIONAL"
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- NOBODY WATCHES THE WATCHMEN
- A BANK ROBBER BLOG PUBLIC SERVICE ANOUNCEMENT
- February (31)
- January (25)
- 2008
-
2007
- December (21)
- November (24)
-
October (35)
- HAPPY HOLLOWEEN!!!!
- THE SHOUT OUT LOUDS!!!!!!!!
- Best Reality Show Ever?
- BEST SIDE PROJECT EVER!!!
- CMJ RECAP 2007?
- Putting the "J" in CMJ
- CHUTES TOO NARROW?
- THE FIERY FURNACES ARE CRAZY
- SPOON PLAYED SNL/SETH ROGEN STILL HUSKY
- TV Eye: SNL Vs. Chuck
- ZE NEWZ ZOUNDS OV FAT CAT!!!!
- RADIOHEADZ THE MUZIK INDUSTRIEZ DEAT FREEZ FROM NEWZ MUSICS FROM ZE PHOSPHORESCENT!
-
September (37)
- THE CARIBOU BAND
- NJ ROCKS: Ridgewood/Vanderslice
- JENS LEKMAN: THE NEXT KANYE WEST
- "GET OFF OF MY STAG"
- Shout Out Louds/P'Fork
- BEAKING NEWS: MADONNA APPARENTLY NO LONGER BRITISH, NOW ISREALI
- "THE SALMON DANCE"
- "THEY HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM"
- TV Eye: The Emmy's and BRM
- IT'S BEIRUT, BITCH!
- IT'S L'SHANA TOVA, BITCH!
- ROCKAPELLA BY ASSOCIATION!
- The Clientele vs. PB and J
- More Jews and More Tennis!
-
August (34)
- Okkervil River Frenzy
- Heineken Light Not "Light" On Your Pocket
- BJORN BORG!!!!!!!
- OWEN WILSON WTF!?!?!?!?!
- YOUR WEEKLY BRM HOROSCOPE
- TV Eye: Californication
- Mumblebore: The New Talkies
- Totally Wired
- RIP Jerry's
- NJ ROCKS
- Imac and Honeycut!
- Jenn Grant Joe's Pub
- Happy Birthday To Us!
- Top Chef: Mexican Radio
Subscription
RSS Feedblog
BREAKING NEWS: BILL CALLAHAN MAKES BEST ALBUM OF 2009. STILL SAD.
Posted by Hartley On Mar 27, 2009

The actual music is nowhere near as boring as this cover art is. just sayin'.
He used to put out a lot of records as Smog, and then a funny thing happened with Bill Callahan. He put out a record under his actual name. Yes, in 2007 Bill Callahan made one of my favorite records of that year, Woke On A Whaleheart. It was unusually upbeat for Mr. Callahan whose previous albums as Smog dare I say by comparson could've made Leonard Cohen sound like The Raspberries - but I digress. Not only did Whaleheart feature some pretty kick-ass, Robert Pollard-esq chopped'n'screwed album art - SEE:

this is THE SHIT.
but it was also the first Callahan record that I absolutely fell in love with. Dude sounded great with an actual band behind his groggy cracked baritone - as opposed to just a rickety nylon string guitar. Furthermore, where in previous releases I could only take the misanthropic American gothic downer thing in small doses, here it seemed not only that Callahan was writing more diverse material but the shimmering way the songs were all arranged made Callahan's barbs go down WAY easy. In other words, it was a masterpiece. And maybe more importantly, it's still one of the only records from 2007 I actually listen to.
Well. Don't call it comeback. Much like fellow prolific Drag City label-mate Will Oldham, it seems only Bill Callahan can follow a classic with yet another classic. Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle (cover art notwithstanding) is every bit as spellbinding as Whaleheart was, and perhaps if my iTunes plays of the last month are any indication it's even better. Born out of the reckage of Callahn's relationship with Freak Folk (CRINGE ALERT!) harpist Joanna Newsom (who gossip rags tell me left Callahan for SNL's Andy Samberg of all people or some such nonsense - HOW BIZARRE NO!?) Eagle is Whaleheart's dark "arty" brother. So yeah - it's 9 brooding, arresting songs, one of which is even called "Faith/Void". And yet - you should not let that scare you away - honestly, in a toss up between this and Beck's similarly-theme break-up folk record of yore, Sea Change, I'm clearly going with the Callahan. In fact, Eagle may be the best oblique folk music put to tape since the Johnny Cash American recordings Boxed Set. No Joke.
Enough cannot be said for the lavish - almost Ennio Morricone-like arrangements that drape Callahn's musings like North Face jackets do Phish fans on this thing. The record just sounds absolutely gorgeous. Crescendos galore! "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" even has some "Eleanor Rigby" cello shit that spooks me out in the best way possible - only to be followed up by some Morrocan Middle-Eastern cadences on "The Wind And The Dove." And check the titles - there are bird references EVERYWHERE. You could pretty much devise an awesome Callahan "spot the bird reference" drinking game that would leave you shit face probably by song 3. My personal fave tune is the vaguely soulful balled, "Too Many Birds" and that's the song I'm going to post for consumption below. But it doesn't matter really - you should just hit us up for this record immediately, you need to hear the whole thing - together, in sequence. Yes. Don't roll you're eyes at me. Seriously. It's an ALBUM. Remember those? More people should break up with Joanna Newsom and make hott ass records like this. My potential number 1 album of 2009. Holler.
Share