Album of the Week: Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle

Bill Callahan lost me a few years ago. Though I enjoyed his previous work under the moniker of (Smog) back in the late 1990s/early 2000s (especially note worthy is the excellent Knock Knock from 1999) his later albums began to meandering too far into lo-fi dredges and confusing experimentation, culminating in the clusterfuck of Woke on a Whaleheart, notable both as the first album released under Callahan’s given name and as being a completely discombobulating listen. It was a classic case of too many good ideas being executed in the wrong way, which resulted in a half-assed attempt at some sort of musical statement (what ever that statement was supposed to be). Yet like a good prodigal son, Callahan has truly returned to form and has created one of the greatest albums of the year and of his career, Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle. This record returns to his lamentations on loss and heartbreak, with a musical landscape of minimalist stripped-down soul that manages to evoke fellow mope-rockers Leonard Cohen and Will Oldham. Lyrically, Eagle sees Callahan at his peak, crooning lines like “Your love is the king of the beasts/And when it gets hungry it kills to eat” and “I’m not saying we’re cut from the same tree/Like two pieces of the gallows” that are every bit as wistful as they are utterly despairing – even the repeating avian imagery of his lyrics avoids a clichéd representation of freedom (sorry Antony) but instead alludes to the predatory nature of love, hate, and life. Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is an incredible and moving album; from the sombre opening of “Jim Cain” to the nine-minute long “Faith/Void” in which Callahan cleverly delivers a mantra to proclaim “Its time to put God away” it proves to be a completely essential listen.

Listen To: Jim Cain, Wind and the Dove, My Friend

RIYL: (Smog), Will Oldham, Leonard Cohen