Bill Callahan's Newest Album is Ominous Yet Comforting

Stefani Rubino, Managing/Opinions Editor

Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: Variety

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Bill Callahan

Though the title of the album, "Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle," sounds like some kind of a joke, Bill Callahan's new album, due out April 14, has very little comedy in it. Unlike his last release, "Woke on a Whaleheart," which was lively and lighthearted,
"Sometimes…" explores the darker side of Callahan's soul.

Some of the tracks have up-tempo beats, but in the lyrics there lies a more disheartened, depressed Callahan that is reminiscent of his earlier albums under the pseudonym "Smog." "Sometimes…" also shows a tremendous amount of growth in not only Callahan's composition, but also in his personality as well.

The album opens up with "Jim Cain," a slow and steady, almost monotone track that seems like it was plucked straight out of Callahan's earlier days. Truthfully, the track is not all that impressive, but it does serve as a decent enough beginning to an incredibly deep album.

The album really gets moving on the second track, which also happens to be my favorite track, "Eid Ma Clack Shaw." The song starts out with the lyrics "Last night I felt your touch/ gentle and warm/ the hair stood on my arm./ How, how, how?/ Oh, Show me the way, show me the way, show me the way, to shake a memory." However simple the lyrics may seem, they show a playful but misanthropic side of Callahan that is rarely ever seen.

After "Eid Ma Clack Shaw," the next best tracks come with "The Wind and the Dove" and "Faith/Void." "The Wind and the Dove," again, has an extremely dark side, while exploring different Indian melodies and special scales pretty much unheard of from Callahan; his compositional skills are showcased here more than ever.

"Faith/Void" is the last track on thealbum and the longest, clocking in at almost 10 minutes. The track opens with the lyrics "It's time to put god away," which seems fitting for the title of the track. Although "Faith/Void" has an almost dreary feeling and is long, the instrumentals and Callahan's somewhat monotone, sing-talk is almost comforting, especially if listeners feel the same way he does. The song is an epic of doubt and skepticism, which serves as a sort of anthem for the times we are living in.

Regardless of the annoying title and a couple of unimpressive tracks, Callahan's newest release will definitely please old fans and new. If listeners can learn anything from Callahan, it is that no topic is off limits, and no composition is completely impossible.

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