Having anointed Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle our top album of 2009, we naturally had high expectations for its follow-up Apocalypse, out now via Drag City. Judging from our initial thoughts below, it seems ol’ Bill delivered the goods and then some, standing tall as one of independent music’s most reliable songsmiths when so many favorites have been dropping the ball of late.

Staffers Paul Bulow, Joe Mateo, Matthew James, Max Logan, and Vinh Cao were the participants. To reiterate a point that’s been made numerous times regarding First Impressions, they do not comprise a “review”, but merely, as the piece’s title suggests, a collection of initial views concerning the album in question. Look out for a proper write-up in the coming weeks.

Track 1 – ‘Drover’

VC: Oh, his voice carries a fair deal of gravity early on. Almost echo-y.
PB: “All the people went away.” Feeding on that apocalyptic theme off the bat.
VC: Surprising amount of intensity for a Callahan opener…and just as I type that, it eases off.
PB: Ha, yeah. Lyrically, it seems rather intense yet.
VC: For a while there, felt as though percussive bits were flying all over the place. It’s settled in since.
ML: Violin is a nice touch.
JM: Interesting themes so far, seems like a lot going on in the background.
MJ: I guess this is a lot more polished than I was expecting having never heard him before.
VC: Definitely, Max. It feels less showy than on Eagle, much closer to Americana tradition. “I set my watch against the city clock, it was way off…”
PB: I agree that the arrangements are solid. Almost seems too much too early though: strings, distortion, percussion. But I really like what is happening lyrically.
VC: The lull helped mitigate the fuller sound. At least temporarily.
PB: I agree.
VC: Even if there’s a lot going on, it strikes me as rather seamless. Really digging this.
PB: Me too. I didn’t necessarily mean it as a negative, but it seems like a very aggressive opener for a Callahan record, and I like it.
JM: Yeah, it’s been pretty engrossing so far.
ML: “Faster” than almost everything on the previous LP.
PB: “Anything less makes me feel like I’m wasting my time”, like that line.
VC: Agreed with essentially every point just made. Quicker opener than anticipated, and quite refreshing because of it.

Track 2 – ‘Baby’s Breath’

JM: Seems like a much slower start to this song.
VC: Heard this one last week, I believe.
PB: Yes, this was the first single.
ML: “The sacrifice was made.”
VC: Lies significantly closer to what we’ve come to expect from Bill. Understated arrangement and that velvety voice at the core.
PB: Yep.
JM: Yeah, this is definitely more of what I expected.
VC: Not that it’s a bad thing, either. He wears it well.
PB: The backing guitars seem a little more “effected”, though: distortion, reverb, falange.
VC: Mmhmm, certainly adds an element of depth to the affair.
PB: It’s also very heavy with the metaphors, adding to the depth comment. The role of Callahan and the cattle in the opener, the flowers/woman in this one.
JM: Lots of stuff about the “country”, “land”, “wilderness” so far.
PB: Yes, very open in imagery. Very natural.
VC: Frankly, I never pick up on much lyrically upon first listen. Just scattered words here and there.
PB: I usually don’t either, but for some reason there are a lot of lines standing out for me.
ML: Love that line, “How could I run without losing anything?”
MJ: Are the lyrical themes similar to his past work or is this a new approach?
VC: Elemental writing is nothing new to Callahan, Matt.
PB: Compared to Eagle, this seems more observational though. “You must reap what you sow or sing.”
MJ: Ok, seems like you guys are picking up a lot on the lyrics so I was wondering.
VC: I feel as though the pace changes have been really deceptive in this tune. Bill’s disposition hasn’t blinked for a second but the backdrop is ever-shifting.
PB: Yeah, it feels a lot like an old soul or blues song.

Track 3 – ‘America!’

JM: ‘America!’
PB: Hmmm.
MJ: Fuck yeah.
PB: lol
JM: haha
VC: Wow.
JM: “Deep in America tonight…”
ML: Interesting to say the least.
PB: This also feels very rootsy/Americana. That’s a weird line: “I watched Letterman in Australia.”
VC: This feels like one of those insertions to fuck with fans. Sort of kitschy and over-the-top.
JM: Onlooker viewing America maybe?
PB: Funk in the guitar now.
ML: I can dig that.
PB: I’m thinking the instrumentals may be a synthesis of several American styles of music. Just a theory, though.
ML: With only 7 tracks, not sure if I want something like this.
PB: Psych-rock guitar.
JM: Wow, guitar. “…past they don’t care to mention”.
VC: The wailing guitar reminds me of a Dongs Of Sevotion track. ‘The Hard Road’, maybe? Musically, this is decent I guess, but overall it feels pretty heavy-handed.
ML: Clearly, he wanted to go that route.
MJ: I think I like what he was doing on the first 2 songs more than this one.
VC: Same, Matt.
PB: Yeah, after the subtlety and depth lyrically of the first two tracks, this feels like a rejection.
MJ: It’s probably too busy. Too many things happening to really strike a chord.
PB: At this length, too, it feels like this was a jam session that was never fully realized.
ML: Probably my favorite guitar part at the end.
VC: Strip the tune of the guitar, and it’s just this awkward quasi-funky amble. Grew more tiresome as it went on from my vantage point.
PB: I agree, Vinh.

Track 4 – ‘Universal Applicant’

PB: Still a little bit of funk at the beginning of this one. FLUTE.
VC: Love the flute.
JM: Has a nice atmosphere to it so far.
PB: “Bees always swarm when they’re looking for a home, so I followed them.”
VC: Far more patient and poised than the previous tune. Really nice so far.
PB: On the three tracks I’ve really enjoyed so far, they’ve been given plenty of room to develop.
VC: Absolutely. Other than ‘America!’, these are some terrific songs. Not entirely new sides to his work, but pleasant spins on it.
PB: In terms of arrangements, Eagle was kind of all over the place. Even ‘America!’ has fit with the overall feel of the album.
ML: The pleasant feel gets interrupted a bit.
VC: In comparison now, ‘America!’ was the man just coupling every element of his oeuvre from Smog to solo and then spewing remotely “American” imagery over top of it all.
PB: That sounds right. I wonder if he meant it as a survey, or a progression of genres or the way you describe it.
JM: Some really beautiful shifts on this track.
VC: I’m with you on Eagle, Paul. A few cuts (chiefly ‘The Wind And The Dove’ and ‘All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast’) seem to infringe on Bill’s voice, which has always been his biggest asset on the sonic plane.
PB: I thought that was great.
VC: Man, that was good. Like really good. Bill’s got a way about him of twisting something seemingly innocuous into something utterly intriguing.
PB: Lots of complementary elements really combining for a well-formed song.

Track 5 – ‘Riding For The Feeling’

MJ: That was a beautiful intro.
JM: Agreed.
PB: This seems his most accessible tune so far.
VC: Detecting throwback vibes. Tons of warmth, but not much past that.
PB: Least complicated from the jump. Right, Vinh.
MJ: Definitely the simplest tune so far but it’s good.
PB: I think I’m gonna go back and absolutely love the lyrics on this album.
VC: It’s solid to be sure.
PB: Except ‘America!’, perhaps.
ML: Oh man, that guitar tone…
PB: Yeah, Max. He just sounds so comfortable here.
JM: Another song with beautiful atmosphere to it, really complements his voice.
VC: Yep, this is becoming stronger as it goes. For a while, I thought it might be limited to a folk plod but that guitar is just delightful without detracting from Bill’s pipes in the least.
PB: I hate to keep bringing up the comparison, but at times on Eagle, I felt like the vocals existed independently of what was happening otherwise, and this is completely the opposite. A really gorgeous blending of everything.
VC: Yep, the vocals aren’t hampered at all. If anything, they’ve been augmented. Great track, opens up slowly but surely as it glides on. Even with that faint nip of electric guitar swirling in the periphery toward the end, such a bucolic, beautiful song.

Track 6 – ‘Free’s’

PB: More flute!
JM: Seems a bit more uptempo at first.
PB: This is set up like a jazz shuffle. Whistling! And not great whistling at that, haha.
ML: Shake it off, Bill.
VC: Tasty keys dangling in the background.
MJ: The flute keeps making me think of some crooning Bacharach shit. Which I’ll confess I’m not opposed to.
PB: haha
VC: I can’t decide if this is fun and frivolous or fascinating. Or both.
PB: Might be both. It seems like it alternates.
ML: I’m sure that will reveal itself on future listens.
JM: Getting lost trying to follow/figure out the lyrics.
PB: Agreed, Joe.
VC: Hmm, still undecided. Leaning toward frivolous, I think. Didn’t resonate the way the other entries have thus far, and the jazzy sheen didn’t sit too well with me.

Track 7 – ‘One Fine Morning’
JM: Last track, this has gone by fast.
VC: Testament to how immersive a journey this has been. Let’s see how he wraps things up.
JM: Piano.
VC: Nearly 9-minute closer. Wonder if this’ll be a tortuous track or just a straight-shooting one.
PB: It seems like there is a lot more blues/roots on this album. Wondering the same, Vinh. It starts pretty scarce, maybe setting up to build up, throughout.
VC: Agreed on the roots notion. Not in that stereotypical rustic man-and-a-guitar manner, but tied to a whole tradition of Americana.
MJ: Yeah, I think something is certainly building up here,
VC: His voice is downright wondrous on this record.
PB: Those guitar parts that keep flying by are hinting at something. Yeah, he nailed everything vocally, and I think that the instrumentation choices have been perfect as well.
VC: Me too.
JM: “Ballet of the heart.”
VC: And I find that the piano fits this slow burn a bit better than on the previous “jazz shuffle”, as you put it.
PB: Yeah, even though the guitar is back there, this feels like an interplay between Bill and the keys.
VC: You can especially hear that right now. (*roughly the 5-minute mark*)
JM: This song, and the whole album really, have had such mood/presence.
VC: Such a roomy, commodious tune. Eagle was a tad stuffy at times with all the strings and clatter. This is…sumptuous and slender all at once.
PB: It has definitely felt that way, Joe.
JM: For the most part nothing has seemed rushed, just naturally developed.
VC: No jarring twists and turns yet, and it’s been a stellar 6 minutes to this point.
PB: Obviously, Eagle was great, but Joe is right. I think Bill may have had a lot to say and tried to make it fit the album.
ML: Must say though, I prefer ‘Faith/Void’ (Eagle‘s closer) to this.
PB: That was one of my favorite songs of 2009 Max, so I agree.
VC: Well, I’m quite fond of that as well, since Bill tackles God so deftly in his writing.
PB: But in context, I almost feel like this works just as well.
ML: Agreed, this is quite wonderful in its own way.
VC: Didn’t he sing “my apocalypse” in ‘Universal Applicant’ too?
JM: He’s definitely mentioned it before.
PB: Yes. This is acting almost as a summary.
VC: Sort of a hushed resolution…hahaha crooning “DC450″ is great. Drag City’s 450th release.
PB: Ha! That’s great.

Closing/Miscellaneous Thoughts

JM: Apart from ‘America!’, a really solid album with absolutely terrific feel.
PB: I think I would’ve liked a little more intensity on the closer, but I really can’t complain at all.
MJ: I really enjoyed that.
VC: If not for ‘America!’, this would stand up near the top of Bill’s work. Top 5 or so.
JM: His voice was perfect for most of this.
PB: I was going to try to justify ‘America!’, but even though it’s not a bad song, it just doesn’t fit the rest of the album. And that is kind of jarring when you only have 7 songs.
ML: While I’m sad to see it end, I’m glad he didn’t add tracks for the sake of adding tracks.
JM: Yeah, it feels complete at 7 tracks.
PB: Agreed, Max.
VC: Indeed. Album’s started again with ‘Drover’, and it just reinforces the idea that the album is varied in a really furtive, understated way. Of course, this is just a first impression, but it’s among the best albums I’ve heard in 2011.
JM: Going to be great to go back and figure out some of the lyrics. I tried to keep up but missed so much.
PB: Yeah, I’m really looking forward to analyzing this one.
ML: Definitely a frontrunner for me, Vinh.
VC: I love SOTS’ fondness for Bill. If Panda Bear beats this on our year-end list, I’ll have to punch a few babies.
PB: Haha, well, it won’t be making my list. I really don’t like that album.
ML: Ha, I’ve always preferred Avey Tare’s work honestly.
VC: Such a bore.
JM: Snorefest.
PB: Parts of Person Pitch I thought were brilliant. Nothing even close on this one.
MJ: Panda Bear at p4k last year made me want to go home.
JM: Person Pitch is much better than Tomboy.
PB: Yeah, Matt, I tried to get as far away as I could.
ML: Yeah, that set was brutal to hear waiting for LCD.
VC: His debut is his most interesting to me, but his last two feel cold and contrived to me. There’s virtually nothing sincere that seeps in.
JM: Tomboy is a chore just to get through.
PB: I felt the same way, Joe. A couple of songs had bright spots, but of course he pounds them into the ground til you can’t stand them anymore.
VC: Back to Apocalypse…favorite track?
JM: Hrmmm.
MJ: ‘Universal Applicant’, I think for me.
PB: I’m gonna say ‘Baby’s Breath’ or ‘Riding For The Feeling’.
JM: ‘Riding For The Feeling’.
ML: Either ‘Drover’, ‘Baby’s Breath’, or ‘Riding For The Feeling’.
MJ: ‘Riding For The Feeling’ is great.
JM: What about you, Vinh?
VC: I’m not sure. I’m thinking either ‘Baby’s Breath’ or ‘One Fine Morning’. Probably the former at this point.
PB: ‘Baby’s Breath’ is just so well-developed.
ML: Something about the line “I’m on my knees, gardening” hits just right.
JM: ‘Baby’s Breath’ is a close second for me.
VC: ‘Drover’ is really good.
MJ: Other than ‘America!’, you could probably make a case for any of these songs.
PB: I like the chain-gang feel of ‘Baby’s Breath’. I’m on ‘America!’ for the second time now and it really feels kind of harsh. That might be the point, but it’s still grating.
VC: Concerning ‘Baby’s Breath’, it goes back to the roots vibes littering this album. It’s not dated at all, but without question steeped in songwriting of the past.
PB: Definitely.
VC: Almost scared that ‘America!’ is circling back for another play.
JM: Is this the first FI we’ve all liked in a while?
VC: Yeah, FIs are usually a disaster for the artist in question.
ML: I think this was better received than Tallest Man.
JM: Yet somehow they make end-of-the-year lists. (The Suburbs, I’m looking at you.)
VC: Fuckin’ Joanna Newsom. Worst FI ever.
PB: Tallest Man was the most successful we’ve had.
JM: Newsom was just such a task to do in one night.
MJ: That was one of the longest nights ever.
PB: Haha, I missed Newsom.
ML: Just listened to The Suburbs this week, still love it.
VC: The Wild Hunt went over really well, yeah. Mostly because it’s a really good album.
PB: True. And I think I gave The Suburbs more credit than it deserved in my review.
VC: So glad Bill has proven dependable. All these other bastards disappointing me with every new release.