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SMOG - A River Ain't Too Much To Love
| FakeJazz |
| In the late 90s/early 00s, Smog went through a gimmick period while trying to follow up Red Apple Falls, using a children's choir on Knock Knock followed by Ally McBeal-style backup singers on Dongs of Sevotion followed by a subtle name change on Rain On Lens. Discussion of Callahan's work focused on these gimmicks instead of the great, gimmick-less songs of the era like "River Guard" and "Nineteen." While there is a gimmick to A River Ain't Too Much To Love, in the end all this gimmick amounts to is simplicity and directness, two of the key elements that made Smog great to begin with....full text |
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| PasteMagazine |
| Bill Callahan’s monochromatic yet minutely graded baritone is a cold, dead thing, twitching on a slab. His sinister Americana is understatedly cruel and sublimely dolorous, with a kinder view of nature than humanity. On River he’s a distant silhouette trudging across a barren horizon to the tune of softly plucked nylon strings, finely drawn insights accumulating on his boots like dust....full text |
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| Dotmusic |
| An Old West sense of survival and redemption colours Bill Callahan's umpteenth (16th if you count the early home-made stuff and a singles collection; 11th otherwise) offering of lo-fi, country-tinged acoustica....full text |
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