BILL CALLAHAN - Woke On A Whaleheart Review

When you’re as dark an artist as Bill Callahan has proven to be under both his Smog moniker and on his own, any sort of pep is something to notice. Such is the case on this, one of Callahan’s best albums, as certain tracks are actually upbeat and it keeps one interested in the entire album. There are still the morose tracks of beauty, but you won’t be entirely depressed come album’s end....full text Emerging under the suitably cloudy name of Smog at the turn of the 1990s, Callahan originally seemed like the kind of pale, interesting boy neighbours would one day call a “loner” on the local news. He has gradually thawed since Supper in 2004 and this, the first record released under his real name, is further evidence of his slow unfurling....full text Despite appearing for the first time outside the concealing shroud of Smog, there are few, if any, fresh revelations about the "real" Bill Callahan to be gleaned from "Woke On A Whaleheart" - which, thanks largely to that distinctive baritone murmur, sounds not unlike a Smog album.
We shouldn't be surprised. Like Will Oldham, Callahan has never hidden his innermost thoughts, never baulked at tackling material which might cast him in an unsympathetic light, so there's probably not that many secrets left to reveal....full text