Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Slow, sleepy. I do think this one would grow on me with repeated listens, unfortunately my re-spin list is already long and this is way way down.

Jim Cain - 8/10. Very relaxing and smooth. Almost more lilting prose than lyrical. Eid Ma Clack Shaw - 8/10. Smooth and very pleasant. The Wind and the Dove - 8/10. Feels almost like Psychadelic Country. Very interesting. Rococo Zephyr - 7/10. Relaxing, almost fades into the background, but well done. Too Many Birds - 6/10. Feels a little more forced than the others. My Friend - 8/10. I like this track. All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast - 6/10. Interesting metaphors. There's a fine line between deep and pretentious, and this goes back and forth over it. Invocation of Ratiocination - 5/10. Just weird. Faith/Void - 8/10. Smooth and simple, not the message I would expect from this style of music, either. I like this one. Overall Rating - 3.56/5 (7.11/10). A very different sound, and very pleasing to my ears.

It was nice to listen to but not something I would return again for a long time.

Great baritone voice. Good record. Pitchfork: 8.1 Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Jim Cain Eid Ma Clack Shaw The Wind and The Dove Too Many Birds Faith/Void

It was ok, could listen to it again, as I quite liked the track “Friends” - I’d never heard of him tbh.

I could fall asleep even if I was having Red bull in I.V.

Enjoyable for me as a background album. A few standouts

I've been in love with this album since release. Love is the king of the beasts And when it gets hungry it must kill to eat Love is the king of the beasts A lion walking down city streets

Old man bill. Even when he was young he was old

There is nothing remarkable whatsoever about this boring-ass album. I'm not even halfway through this project and I can think of at least a half dozen albums that sound exactly like this but better.

I am always skeptical of getting assigned an album on here from 1999-2014 that I've never heard of. That 15 year period probably marks the time I most had my finger on the pulse of music coming out. And, really, I listened to it all. Sure, I probably focused on the various genres within indie (rock, folk, electronic) than other genres like rap or country, but if it was critically acclaimed, I was at least giving it a shot. So far, this website has only surprised me with one album from that time period that flew below my radar and still ended up impressing me. The question for Bill Callahan is will he be a hidden gem that somehow snuck past me in my musical critic prime or is there some obscure reason he's on this list that I can't justify. To be fair, if anything from 2009 is going to go unnoticed by me it would probably be country. The problem with Bill, at least on my initial listen, is that he can't carry a tune. He's got these beautiful instrumentations that just get wrecked by tone deaf vocals. As the album wanes on, so does my tolerance for crappy vocals. This wasn't a horrid listen, there were some good, some bad, some great, some horrible songs. Pretty typical for an average album. But for a classic? A hidden gem? An album you must hear before you die? Not even close.

Correcto

Gear: Moondrop Variations Artwork: 🐎🏕️🌲 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🐻🧣🍂 Rating: 🦅🦅🦅🦅(🦅)/5

Not speaking, not singing, not good.

Comically bad - besides non captivating talking voice, mix sounds amateur.

Overall it felt kind of amateur. There were some neat moments or some lyrics that were deep (but they would have been better as a poem not a song) but nothing seemed finished or polished. It was small town America meets a poetry or music compition. This guy was the best in his small town, but if you put him up against others he really isn't that great.

It was pretty chill and dreamy.

The power in any Bill Callahan outing lies in his deep voice. It’s a soothing instrument. I discovered Bill through his backup vocals to Joanna Newsom on her 2006 album, Ys, which is in my top 3 of that decade. Voice alone is enough to pull a person in. His songwriting is an acquired taste. There are moments of pure loveliness, like on Rococo Zephyr. Some songs just go nowhere.

This was weird and kind of boring.

4 sterne

Je pense que j’ai aimé cet album. La voix du chanteur me semblait trop détachée du reste de la musique, comme si le band était derrière lui et n’était là que pour l’accompagner, plutôt que d’être un tout. Mais, sinon, les chansons étaient bonnes, pas trop country, l’ambiance était tranquille, mais plaisante.

Interesting voice and album

Not too bad. With that sleeve I was expecting at lot worse. Once again the vocal lets it down for me.

This was the first Bill Callahan. Eid Ma Clack Shaw was the first track of his I heard and remains my favourite. His voice adds a warm rich tone to what are great lyrics. The instrumentation also perfectly complements this and whilst I can understand that this style wont be for everyone, in the same way as someone like Dylan i think the sum of the whole is great enough to overcome any issues with any technical criticism of his vocals (although i would slso say any criticism is unjust)

I had never heard of Bill Callahan and, when the album started, decided I wasn’t going to like him either. So nobody was anymore surprised than me at how much I enjoyed this, in particular, “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” and “All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast”. Large parts of the rest of it were pleasant to have on as background music. He falls into the trap of having a 10min song that sounds the same at the end, which is so unnecessary, but - generally - this was quite an enjoyable experience for me.

Firstly, this is a very confusing album name / cover art combo. Secondly, I think a lot of the songs on this record are beautiful but the vocal delivery is *weird*. I think I could get into this a lot more if Bill actually sounded like he wanted to be there - he sounds so dispassionate. It's certainly giving Shatner in places, if Bill was feeling particularly dispondant on the day of recording. Thirdly, there should be more nonsense words in songs. Fourthly, just because someone sings with a little bit of a twang, doesn't make them country. The genre classification for this record makes no sense to me. It's far more modern folky than country. Not entirely sure where this leaves me, but I think previous albums where I mostly really liked the music but not the vocal delivery have tended to get a 3. So while the same would have happened here, the pointlessly long and repetitive last song broke me, so 2/5

Ah, it’s fine.

Sometimes I wish I wasn’t doing this challenge.

Hauntingly boring. The only tune I find to be vaguely interesting, musically, is Invocation of Ratiocination. Faith/Void is painful to listen to.

One of my favourite albums

Beauty of a baritone, singing sad songs in kind of a hi-fi folk. Not my jam but I totally understand.

Never heard of him but I loved this album. Great voice and deep songs. The lyrics are amazing and work with his voice perfectly

Haven't heard of this guy, but it's fairly inoffensive easy listening.

Helt ok, ikke helt min greie da.

God hard rock. 3 men høres nok ikke igjen så mange ganger .

Surprising 4

He has a wonderful bass voice. Very soothing. It's just not my thing. It reminds me of 70's singer songwriter stuff, but it was released in 2009. It's not bad, just nothing jumps out at me to listen to it again. My rating: 2/5 eagle feathers

Lovely songwriting here. I happily listened twice.

This felt like a nice winter album - soft folky instrumentation and some ideas that repeat in a comforting trance. Not reinventing the wheel but doesn’t need to really - can see how you might need to be in the right mood for this but it hit right on my listen.

Turns out I did not need to hear that before I died.

Oh so this guy is Smog. Yeah this is me-bait and I loved falling through the Bill Callahan trap door. Quasi-spoken word stuff like this is either a love or hate for me. Callahan's voice has a beautiful, deep tone and though he's toeing the speaking-singing line it's from the singing side, just enough so that the best parts of that tone are activated. The songwriting is mesmerizing, haunting, makes you feel small.

Not for me

The winter tires are re-torqued, the dahlia bulbs are prepped for winter and Billy C is in your ears singing to you about birds. November comes in like an eagle but how it goes out is for the generator to decide.

This was ok I guess. I found it a bit boring.

Jim Cain - 4 Eid Ma Clack Shaw - 3 The wind and the dove - 4 Rococo Zephyr - 4 Too many birds - 3 My friend - 5 all thoughts are prey to some beast - 6 invocation of ratiocination - 2 faith/void - 2

This one really depends on mood. Very melancholy, but lyrically solid and music is OK.

Loved this album

It was fine. Not too memorable except when he goes “my friends 👹👹👹”.

i mean atleast he's not grating but he's definitely annoying. Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: no 2.3

The latest addiation to my 1* brutality. There's nothing wrong with this but I forget it instantly

3.5/5

This was awful. Almost comically bad. It feels like he did the entire album by himself with a computer and guitar. The songs are all boring. He seems like he has a good voice, but is maybe singing in the wrong range? Something about his singing was just bad.

I really enjoy the instrumentation on this album. The vocals are a bit repetitive at times though, like on Faith/Void and Too Many Birds.

I like the instrumentals and lyrics, but I'm not a fan of the talk-singing. When he actually sings, it's better, but I still don't care for his voice much. Skipped: Jim Cain, Eid Ma Clack Shaw, Rococo Zephyr, My Friend, All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast, Faith/Void Liked: The Wind and The Dove, Too Many Birds, Invocation of Ratiocination Loved: N/A Album Favourite: The Wind and the Dove Saved to Liked Songs: None

it's soothing but I'm not sure I would come back to it.

Despite the rating (I am trying to be a more discerning critic, somewhat unsuccessfully) I found the album really fascinating. It has a bit of Jonathan Richman to it, but with a more country flair. I thoroughly enjoyed the music, even if I don’t think it has the technical or historical chops to award a higher rating.

There’s a relaxing Bob Ross quality to this one.

This was a really nice album! Not 5 star worthy but decent enough 4 ⭐️

This isn’t something I’d go back to. There was no standout tracks for me and nothing really grabbed my attention

BC is one of those artists that has demonstrated the value and pay off of one's commitment to continually seek new music. One found him late (probably from algo-reco based on lots of Red House Painters listening) and felt immediately spoken to, understood, drawn in and gravitating toward. Then realized one knew Smog (a bit) and so ... it's all likably strange, rich and moody, literary and spiritual; warm, empathetic and humane, too – right up one's alley. "Jim Cain" and "Faith/Void" are an extraordinarily strong opener-closer combo.

Sorta Nick Cave coded but with nicer actual lyrics. I like Zephyr and Birds.

Sometimes I get really annoyed by "sing-talking," but something about the lyricism here makes it less obnoxious and more honest. Simple.

I guess this is one I just don’t get. Monotonous, no dynamics, just nothing to really enjoy about this.

I'm very conflicted about this so much of it I like but also find a lot kinda boring. Could see it being a grower

To many birds... unspectacular a bit boring songwriting.

Easy listening, acoustic indie. American west vibes.

I really cringed when I saw that this was labeled as a country album. How many more do I need to suffer through? But I was very pleasantly surprised by the music. It was described elsewhere as "Doom Country" which still doesn't quite feel right but it definitely makes it sound more interesting. The best description I can think of for this music is bleak folk set against large orchestral strings. I really enjoyed the effect of this one. I absolutely would not lump it in with the ultra conservative honky tonk Nashville establishment. This is something much more special.

Some nice poetic writing. I'm not sure what I would classify this as. Its well written, kinda sad, introspective, and a little weird. The Wind and The Dove sounds like something from a Pharaoh's tomb. Its mostly okay, a lot of it just kinda phased through me but the stuff I really paid attention to was nice.

Enjoyable enough but I probably didn’t need to hear this before I died.

poetry, and beautiful voice. My only gripe is his acting sucks.

Another man singing/talking really low and thinking its poetic and nothing else quite redeeming abt it 2.5/5 ~ 2/5 5.67/10

Love me some Smog/Bill Callahan. When I go to a concert I try to be the person having the most fun so despite Bill not having the most danceable music, I was non-stop moving when I saw him in Philly. After the show ended at least 4 people said, “Boy, you were having a good time!” Got my dad into “Jim Cain” as the first song on a mixed CD I made for him to listen to in his car. He loved it but I don’t think he went far past the first coupla songs.

This is a very pleasant album. I've never heard of this person or heard their music before but it was an enjoyable listen. It's a bit slow for my taste but glad to have heard it. I could see myself listening to this when I want something super chill.

After the first track, I started writing this review because I thought it was all going to be samey: "This album is proof that you can accomplish anything if you try. Because this guy must have demoed this album, a producer actually said "yeah, you know what, I'll do it," and they actually published it." But then I got to "The Wind and the Dove" and was actually a little impressed. I'm not a fan of the half-singing, half-speaking style, but the instrumental arrangements are nice. Not a complete flop.

Eh, pretty lack luster but an album I'd probably listen to again if given the chance.

.

This record feels like walking through a quiet landscape at dusk — beautifully arranged, deliberate, and heavy with mood. The instrumentation is rich and restrained, the kind of understated sophistication that draws you in without showing off. But while I really appreciate the atmosphere and the songwriting, Callahan’s voice never quite lands for me. It’s more spoken word than sung, which keeps me at a distance emotionally even as I admire the craft. I’m glad I spent time with it — there’s something undeniably artful here — but it’s more a record I respect than one I feel.

Rococo Zephyr

Hate the vocals

This was weird and i liked it. High three!

Nice. Pleasant listening.

love it

I found this album very dull

I like it

Kende eigenlijk alleen het prachtige 'Too Many Birds', wat gek genoeg geen reden was om de rest van het album te checken. Introspectieve en introverte folk-muziek, wat soms een beetje ongemakkelijk klinkt. Het album wandelt op een koord tussen waanzinnig breekbaar en bijzonder innig, en in mijn ogen is het net zo vaak raak als dat ik het té melodramatisch vind. De sterke momenten zijn wel echt bijzonder, en klinken erg organisch, waardoor ik toch een ruime voldoende geef. 7/10 Highlights: The Wind and the Dove Too Many Birds My Friend

Gezien de reviews kon dit twee kanten op. Meerderen maakten er een einde aan na het eerste nummer, anderen gaven uit het niets 5 sterren. Bij mij valt Bill Callahan toch wel weer goed moet ik zeggen. Zijn zang is zacht ingezongen maar in de productie juist heel krachtig en duidelijk gemaakt. Dat komt wel binnen. Ik heb vaak een allergie gemaakt voor dit soort artiesten die dan met enkel een gitaar of piano de nummers bezingen. De tracks van Callahan zijn volledig. Met drum, bass en strijkers (!). Het klinkt daardoor een stuk symfonischer en blijkt daardoor veel langer interessant. 7/10

Actually ended up liking this one more than I thought I would, but still not really my thing

Cover: This will be kitschy! Maybe New Age, Enya style? The first track revealed that the cover was a joke. It's DAAARK! I tried to like the album. I like his voice. He seems honest. The understated strings (ah they were only 5 guys playing into a single microphone, nice!). But then there were too many annoying things, his talk-singing style (reminds me too much of Bob Dylan), then when the woman chanted »Rococo!« I gave up. Also: too dark. It is way too introspective and the guy has only dark thoughts. Why do you need to share this with the world?

It's what I want Tom Waits/Leonard Cohen to sound like. You know, like if they actually gave half a sh*t about the vocal part. I digress, glad to finally have met this interesting soul. Gots some Devotchka feels in there too, which I liked.

Good but I found it difficult to fully digest. Part of it was me distracted so maybe worth another shot

Pretty good

Wasn’t aware of this guy but enjoyed the record

Im sorry I just don't get it

3/5

Not a fan of country

En 2009 este disco me aburría. ya en 2025 puedo decir que estoy más cerca de ser un viejo de mierda porque ahora no me pareció tan malo.

Hypnotic voice, he's telling me this is a five star record and I'm helpless to disagree.

There's nothing particularly flashy or fancy about this album, but its vibes are huge all the way through. The way Callahan's musical, but understated vocals meld with the instrumentation creates a unique sound that I imagine would be very hard for any artist to try and replicate. Most of the songs are hypnotic in their repetition, although there are times where it can border on redundant. All in all, I expect this will be something I revisit from time to time when I need to throw something soothing on.

Back in the Stone Ages, co-workers and I used to exchange new music we had heard. We did it every Friday and one time a co-worker gave me this album to listen to. I feel pretty much the same now as I did back then. It's pretty good and the musicality is really pretty. The songs as a whole are too low key and the speak-singing thing is just not something I can get through on an entire album. Maybe it's me. I'm the problem. One of the reviews from someone on this site said in his/her review none of the songs "overstay their welcome." There's an almost 10 minute song on here that pretty much only has the lyrics, It's time to put God away, I put God away. I don't know if it overstayed its welcome but that is a long song with not a lot of meat on the lyrical bone. Bill Callahan has a sort of droning voice but it never becomes annoying. The question I have, that I always seem to pose, is why this album is in the book? I guess I am missing the genre not in this book this album represents and creates the need for it to be heard. A case of music that I didn't dislike but not something I would come back to. Jim Cain

Very slow acoustic country. It isn't bad, just too slow to want to listen to it in the future. Bill has a great voice but it wasn't really used for anything interesting, it's not emotionless though. Mastering is really good, in Eid Ma Clack Shaw you can feel the air pressure due to the rumbling of the bass drum on the right side.

This was a surprising 4/5 for me. Never heard of this artist, nor was I familiar with any of his band's (Smog) output. It was weird and trippy and entrancing.

Felt pretentious. Also the half talking half singing was not great.

Nice attempt to make something between beautiful and interesting. But it's not that interesting though. I liked it, but the songs tend to feel long, losing their charm at the end. I would say it's more of Americana, country-folk than country itself, but it combines nicely different sounds, yet sometimes this album becomes monotonous. It's a different take into country (or folk, I would say), which makes it interesting at parts. It's just not that memorable to make me love it.

Very peaceful, a bit Nick Cave.

An interesting listen, for sure. At times Willie Nelson and at times a middle-aged dad going through a midlife crisis who decided to turn his poetry hobby into an album. At least it's good poetry, though. These are the sorts of albums that I'm going to struggle with for this exercise. I'm thinking three, but if I spent more time with it, I feel I might move my rating to a four . . . or a two. Regardless, it's refreshing to hear something that sounds so unique. For that, and in the spirit of "needing to hear," what the heck ... I'll just just go four.

Similar to many Smog/Bill Callahan albums, I liked it but not every song and don’t feel like I need to acquire more. That sounds maybe too negative since I enjoyed the experience.

3/5 - I don’t that I needed to hear this album today, but I might need to hear it again sometime in the future. The instrumental aspects of this are pretty enjoyable, but his vocal delivery put me off. I could see this growing on me if I let it.

Terrible! Can’t sing. Songs bland and weird.

After hearing the first song I immediately thought this was going to be another Giant Sand sounding indie band. I enjoyed the album and found myself singing along to a couple songs. Favorite songs: My Friend, Faith/Void

6/10 I really liked the tone of this album. It was musically interesting, there was some really nice arrangements among the instrumentation and I enjoyed the subtle delivery of Bill’s vocal. I also appreciate the fact that he does often stray away from the verse/chorus/verse structure, which adds an interesting twist to songs like these and makes things a bit less predictable. When all that came together, there were some really special moments, but I also found there were times when things just meandered a little too much away from the thrust of the track and kind of got lost to introspection. There were bits of tracks where I was just begging for things to be a tiny bit better organised, such as some of the drumming performances, which were just a little too sharp against the rest of the song, or when a sequence repeated for a little longer than it needed to, which was a shame, because often things were so close to being fantastic. To my mind, this is somewhat of a melancholic wash of an album that, were I walking in the rain and having a difficult time of things, it would feel like the warm hug of someone sharing my pain. Perhaps this is one of those ‘right time, right place’ releases that I’m not quite in the right mental place to truly embrace. But regardless of that, it was an enjoyable listen and may well be one that I make my way back to again in future. Jim Cain - This is quite pretty. The shimmering guitar that drifts between the foreground and background is particularly nice. There’s not much to the composition, but the accompanying instruments add some great depth to and variety to the different sections. It’s calm and fairly subtle, but it’s great. Eid Ma Clack Shaw - There are elements of this that are decent, particularly some of the string parts, but the staccato rhythm that persists through the whole track is just a bit relentless and tiring on the ear. His voice is obviously of a certain type, but it feels weaker here than in the first track too. The Wind and The Dove - This is better again. The cliche ‘Arabian music’ in the intro is a bit of a strange addition, especially as it just stops about 30 seconds in and only returns in the final 30 seconds. The modulation between a slightly threatening minor tonality in the verses to an almost melancholic major key in the chorus is really nice. Rococo Zephyr - There are some really nice moments in this, but I feel some of the sections are a bit to repetitive and the drum mix is a bit too sharp and aggressive and takes away a little from the rest of the chill nature of the track. It’s a decent track, but it just doesn’t quite come together as nicely as some of the others. Too Many Birds - There’s something quite bleak about the lyrics to this. It’s got a nice little rhythmic lilt to it, although I again feel like the drums were a little overplayed in a couple of places. It’s got a fairly bittersweet sound to the composition with some quite uplifting motifs in the instrumentation offset by a quite melancholic performance in the vocal, which I quite like. My Friend - There’s a really interesting transition into a dark passage at about 50 seconds which is great. And then it works its way out into something more upbeat quite subtly. Earlier in the track, the drums feel too sharp on the attack again, but the rest of the track does sort of catch up to them as it progresses. It’s not my favourite on the album, but I quite like the structure of the composition. All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast - There’s a slow build to this is the instrumentation becomes more dense. The brass has a really nice tone. Again, there are some bits of this that I really like, but it feels a little like it doesn’t quite come together in a completely satisfactory way and the the core motifs are just a bit too repetitive. Invocation of Ratiocination - I think this refers back to some of Bill’s earlier experimental lo-fi work. It’s quite a nice sound wash, but doesn’t offer much development. Faith/Void - This is really good. Some of the subtle playing in there, like the electric piano, and some of the guitar flourishes, are quality. But by god does it drone on too much. I agree we should put god away, but I’m not sure I need to hear him sing it that many times. This could have been a really good 4 minute song, but it’s nearly 10 minutes long. I have no problem with long songs, but they need to offer a bit more than this.

Bill Callahan’s Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is a masterpiece of restraint and emotional depth. His baritone voice moves like a steady current through lush yet understated arrangements, blending folk, country, and orchestral flourishes into something timeless. Each track feels carefully etched, revealing quiet truths about solitude, love, and the natural world. It’s an album that lingers long after listening, both grounding and elevating in equal measure.

Minder mig om noget Peter-Sommer på engelsk. Ikke noget, der bed sig fast, men trods alt ikke lige så håbløst som den gangsta-rap, jeg har kæmpet mig igennem de sidste par dage.

Love this guy

The name of the album irritates me for some reason and forshadowed how I felt about the songs. I didn't finish, I got as far as Too Many Birds before I gave up. That was a torturous 24 mins of my morning communte.

I never heard of Bill Callan but I didnt have a bad time listening to this album. I am not a country music person per se but I found it comforting. However, I would not see myself replaying this album as it does not pertain to my taste or vibe.

Didn't liked vocals. The begining was good, but the more the album dragged, the more samey it felt. I thought it would be 4 at the begining, but by the end of the album, I can't give it more than 2

I get it. It's not for me, but I get it.

So I think I’ve listened to this album probably twice, three times now after today and I’m now realising that this might be one of the most beautiful sounding albums I’ve listened to. jim cain is a heartbreaking song, it’s so beautifully intimate and feels so private, the wind and the dove is another highlight of the album for me, feels like walking through a ghost town. I think another reason this album feels so gut wrenchingly traumatic is bills voice, he’s speaking, he’s singing, he’s borderline rambling but it adds a layer of humanity to the whole album. an album ive probably overlooked greatly 4.3/5 FTW Another blind album and looking at the cover I'm expecting country or just calm good vibes so let's have a go. Okay I really didn't know what to expect with this album and it did not disappoint in the slightest. The album seems to balance simplicity and complexity incredibly well both musically and lyrically. From the lyrics of the opening track flowing you with talks of introspection, about personal progression to Eid Ma Clack Shaw which at one point he just starts talking bollocks but it's beautiful bollocks. This album feels very personal, with Bill occasionally just sounding like he's almost talking to himself, exploring the themes of loss, love, even faith and personal growth in a beautiful fashion. This album took me by suprise honestly, I was quite taken back by the how well put together it all was and how much the first track especially rocked me. Will happily give this another listen and may even learn a track or two. 4/5 MTW What a nice way to spend an early evening on a Tuesday. I'd even be sound hanging outside with them horse lads on the album cover as it's a lovely day. And that's one way to sum this record up - lovely. Anything with nicely worked-in non-overbearing strings is a big tick in my box. Love that shit. Jim Cain and Too Many Birds are standouts - emotional in two very different ways but keeping a signature which Bill C maintains thorughout the record (personal, open, raw at times) while remaining inviting and comforting. My Friend is another gorgeous tune and these are the three tracks I'll probably come back to. While there are no skips per se, I did find myself plodding through a couple where the music was a little more routine and for want of a better term robotic - but not in a bad way. Closes on a long boy which I am a fan of - if you're gonna put long tunes on a record you're either bold and class or just an arsehole. Bold on Bill's part, nice one. 3.5/5 JF

This probably wouldn’t have been a normal list for me but today I think I needed this album. There was a mellowness to the entire thing that was very centering. I know I had heard Bill Callaghan on something, I think it might’ve been the Serendipity Soundtrack. Overall, I think I could listen to this one again. He has a voice reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, but less avant guard. Key song was or My Friend, Faith/Void hit a little close recently for me. Long story for another day…..

Random thoughts: * I am familiar with Bill Callahan and really dig this guy's stuff. * His voice is amazing and distinctive, so listening to more of his music is a treat. * "Faith/Void" really stuck with me after listening to this one. * "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" was a standout track too. * I'll listen to this one a few more times and let it grow on me.

Kelpo moderni kantri/folk-levy. Itselle ollut tutumpaa Callahanin modernimpi tuotanto, mutta hyvää settiä selvästi täällä uran alkupuolellakin. 3.5/5

Really liked it. His voice may not be for everyone but he's a great storyteller. 4/5

Was not expecting this. Didn't long the sing-talking, but the arrangements were great. 3/5

My first review! I enjoyed this album. I liked the talk-singing style of the vocals. Bill's voice reminded me of the band Friendship. The album had a quirky, eccentric quality that made it a fun listen. 7/10.

Excellent listen for a colder evening staying cozy at home. I wasn’t aware of Bill Callahan’s music but it will make its way into the rotation from time to time.

Really cool singer songwriter vibe. I feel like this album was kinda like Bruce Cockburn and Jim Croce vibes.

6.5/10 i did reslly emjoy this album even though I'm giving this 3 stars. Very comforting and warm sound, made me feel cozy, Bill's voice feels like a musical sound hug embracing you lol. There wasn't anything too crazy here though. The 2nd last song did not do this album any favors, don't know what was up with those weird vocals, but it got a skip on my 2nd listen through.

Quite a find! Nice Album that led me to Vic Chesnutt, who I might like even more.

Never heard of this but a really nice listen. Paints such a great picture. Reminds me of those Guy Garvey radio show things.

This album is full of immaculate and captivating instrumental arrangements. The vocal performance takes some getting used to though - the first verse of the first song was pretty tough, and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the whole album. Once I adapted to Bill’s spoken word singing style, I found this to be a rewarding listen. Maybe the subject matter is too bleak for any of these songs to cross into the mainstream, but I’d be curious to hear these instrumentals in the hands of other vocalists. Like, “Faith/Void” sung by Orville Peck?! Hey, it’s the right time to start thinking about a 20th Anniversary project!

Another one of those albums that’s difficult to rate. There’s a couple of songs that I really like (My Friend and Faith/Void), but the album as a whole seems just ok.

Nada mal, muy bien logrado. Me llevo un tema pamis listas. Tiene un arte especial y eso que nada que ver conmigo. Nota: 3.8

Low key indie. Pleasant.

Strong Nick Cave / Leonard Cohen / Nick Drake feel and if theres one thing this thing has taught me, its that I love me some of that

eh, not my thing

Solid mellow album

This was a really cool album! His low voice and the variety of styles kept me engaged the whole time.

Such a great album.

His voice is too dull and all the songs sound the same

Nice

After some of the records this list has been churning out, it was a very pleasant surprise to see this one pop up. Safe to say, I can listen to pretty much anything by Smog/Bill Callaghan and fall immediately under its spell. This is a particularly good one - that rich orchestration and his sublime voice creating a rich, dream-like sound. A fabulous record.

Off the cuff remark: for a long time Smog and Bill Callahan went under my radar then I heard the marvellous Vessel in Vain on the awesome film Dead Mans Shoes. I've been hooked ever since. Often oblique, understated and quietly mesmerising thus album ticks all those boxes. Standout track: Too Many Birds and the odd Eid Ma Clack Shaw Revisit?: undoubtedly

☀︎Ça manque de vie ☀︎J’aime la clarinette dans The Wind and The Dove. Ça me donne des vibes de Luigi’s Mansion for some reason ☀︎boring

Really great. Never heard of this but will be buying it now. Best album on my list so far.

I had low expectations going in, but that was pretty enjoyable.

It's a very lyrical album with the vocal melody mostly supplied via a sleepy monologue. Most of the appeal otherwise comes from the rococo finery of the ornamental instrumental passages. It it has the feel of a slow burning movie with little or no dialogue. Where the only spoken bits are the thoughts of the protagonist. Taken on its own terms, it's a pleasant listen, as long you don't doze off (I mean this in the nicest possible way).

Gravel voiced nonsence

I thought that the melancholy monotone would annoy me but it let the lyrics shine. Great album, exactly the sort of thing I'd hoped to discover through this list

About a week ago, I woke having dreamed of something melodic and thought, "I should listen to some Smog." Which is odd, as I knew of them vaguely but I don't know if I knew them enough to place the sound. That was a lovely sunny morning of music listening, and now he's back in my life so soon, with this delight of a piece of art. I'm taking it out on a dog walk with me. Blue skies.

Just another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex Funny reading all the other reviews that are trying to define what genre it belongs to... apocalyptic folk is my favourite.

Didn’t like this from the start but started to pick up around “My Friend.” Enjoyed the last four songs and use of dissonance.

Hes barely singing, just talking. The music is kinda nice though, at times i did like what i was hearing, though then his "singing" took all the magic away. I do like his voice though, wish he would actually do a little singing. Not a huge fan of this genre anyway so i guess theres that

Sympa, mais soporifique. A noter pour se calmer en cas d'angoisse - mais le côté ennuyeux risque de m'agacer. Idéal pour s'endormir, par contre (mais sans rêve)

Келлагена я слухав якийсь альбом із нещодавних і або дропнув, або просто не додав в бібліотеку. Цей альбом слухав вчора ввечері, гуляючи з собакою, і дуже кайфонув. Дуже класний звук, неймовірно вдалий мікс. Все звучить ідеально, інструменти типу скрипки чи клавіш з коротенькими вставками походу пісень чудово працюють. Музично це 100 з 100, моя повага авторам та продюсерам. Вокально зазвичай це не мій стиль виконання. Стриманий, місцями на межі зі споукен вордом і десь на приспівах вже емоція з'являється. Проте тут мені це дуже пасувало музиці, дуже гармонійно вийшло. Буду точно ще слухати. Якщо б був в активні фазі колекціонування платівок, то вчора б придбав)

Пару разів в житті намагався слухати Біла Келагана, не моє. Хоча я розумію що музика доволі нетрівіальна.

Insightful lyrics, strong vocal delivery and tight melodic grooves. I’m all in for Bill Callahan!

Was guessing this would be generic C&W from the artist name and title - was completely wrong. Enjoyed 3.5 stars

Didn't expect to enjoy an album like this one, was a pleasant listen. Rococo zephyr, eid ma clack shaw and too many birds were my faves.

I fully expected this to be an alt-country album, however it was not even remotely close to that. Dude has no range, some of the songs are nice, decent lyrics, can’t tell if it’s supposed to be deep or just about birds and trees. Not sure when I’d listen to this again, but something new I’d never think to listen to prior to this list. Just wondering why this album was picked above so many other modern albums.

His voice just didn’t sound too great to me

2.5

2.5

Something slow and subtle. I can appreciate it for some parts and it definitely has an indie Pitchfork sounding edge to it. There's nothing else I can really say to describe it (6/10, 3/5 on this scale) (Update: It's a 2 now. I think it's just alright, 5/10)

Me too. So you would fly away and make no more music. painful to listen to, would not call it rock

New to me and I really like it!

Country.

Soft, warm album, should be perfect for a background listen. I think it really achieves what it set out to do. Just not sure if it's all that *great*, to be on this list.

I really did not like the vocal performance, the pacing, or the repetitiveness. However, there was a unique and ethereal element that you don't really find in country so I give it some bonus points for that. Overall I'm still not a fan but I can see the value it in.

Interesting, haunting, enjoyable

You don't want to be Leonard Cohen I promise

Sorry, not interested.

Great laid back Americana album. Definite soundtrack music but very lush. Even if his voice is more appealing then singing

Listened to this while playing Voidfall. I lost pretty hard. I actually really enjoyed Bill Callahan...America...oh wait, not that album. It's weird rating this album a 4 after I just gave a Beatles album a 4 as well. The album title makes me think of my mom...she watches eagles on a Webcam pretty often.

Hur sjunger karln? Har väll nåt. Kommer nog aldrig lyssna igen!

Did not enjoy this. I mean the music was pleasant but the vocal delivery was not for me 2.1/5

I feel like I might like this if I was in a certain mood, but it did not fit the vibe for the day.

At first I was like “lol, no”. It just reminds me of some celebrity who was like I’m going to make an album and then they put no effort into the vocals. But then when he gets a little melodic I think his singing voice would be really nice. Kind of wish we got that. With all that, I kind of like it. I initially gave it a 2 but then bumped it up.

He has a very calm and chill voice. It was a soothing listen.

Mildly enjoyable acoustic indie.

Yeah in 2009 all music critics were telling us this was like the best music of all time - it all sounded exactly like this. Downbeat pop with dudes with low voices. This guy could be 50 other musicians. I mean, that being said, it’s not awful. Callahan’s deep timbre is pleasant, and the songwriting is fine (although it gets samey real quick). It’s okay enough to listen to for 45 minutes, but after it’s done it feels completely inessential.

2/5

Poetic.. dreamy.. interesting

Vocals were nearly spoken word poems. I hated it. 1/5

What a curious album, one that can be slightly challenging yet radiates warmth. Favourite songs first time through were Eid Ma Clack Shaw, Too Many Birds and All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast, but that could change on another listen. I was gonna give a 3, but writing this now while the last track plays, I'm giving it a 4.

By far the most unique listen I’ve heard on this list. The music isn’t exactly what I’m into, and nothing stood out incredibly far from the rest of the album, but it’s all just so…beautiful. It’s strangely comforting and even nostalgic in some ways. Music that strikes a chord with the soul. A tremendous work by Bill Callahan here

There were some really interesting moments and then some duller moments. All in all it was good but not great.

Overall this album is fine. But it’s pretty monotone.

Strangely awesome and the vocals were really nice!

phenomenal

Greatest contrast between album cover and track quality we've ever witnessed. Good work Maryland John Mayer. Fav tracks: The Wind and The Dove, All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast

I liked this one! It felt simple, yet larger than life at the same time.

I didn't really know what to expect from this, I'd never heard of Bill Callahan before this album appeared in my feed. Country and the like aren't really my thing (but there's enough about it for me to include it in my likes here), but this is actually very listenable and warm and rewarding. Very nice.

He likes birds this guy

First country album I really liked, probably because it's sort of post-country

Musically, I enjoyed ths stripped down mellow indie country vibe. I could not get past his vocals and cadence. This was borderline unlistenable for me.

I've heard a bit of Smog before but not much of his later stuff. It started off and sounded a bit like a stripped down Lambchop but I gradually enjoyed it more as I got into it and the last few tracks are particularly strong.

Bad

3.5 I like bill callahan but wouldn’t choose this album for this list

Sure. Whatever

This album is really pleasant but I just find to be such a slog to listen through. The laid back instrumentation and spoken word vocals are nice but they make everything drag. Fav tracks - Jim Cain - Rococo Zephyr - All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast

I enjoyed this, but I didn't find it revelatory.

5/10

Not my thing.

I like Bill as a lyricist, and I love his work with Smog. His solo stuff is hit or miss for me. Sometimes it's beautiful and relaxing, sometimes it's long and boring. This went between the two.

I wonder who "We" is in the album title. I like to think he means everyone. Instead of all humans he wishes we were just one sweet eagle. That would probably be better for earth. Bill Calahan is a LOT like Andrew Bird, who I like a lot. "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" is a very Bird sounding song. I like it a lot. The rest of the songs blended together, but were mostly nice. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. It was very peaceful, but a little long. I like the multi-instrumentalism throughout. 6/10

Don’t like his voice

Not really my thing tbh

There's something strangely mesmerizing about Callahan's songwriting here. There is so much nuanced production happening, but the end result feels entirely raw and authentic. The upfront, deep timbre, speaking-as-much-as-singing approach sitting atop emotional folk instrumentation presents a unique approach to what might otherwise be familiar or forgettable tunes.

I have a newfound appreciation for eagles as a recent transplant to the PNW, and I’ve long held a deep appreciation for Bill Callahan’s conversational storytelling and sparse profundity.

A soothing, rich barritone voice and undemanding listen.

Sounds like a guy who grew up listening to Leonard Cohen and said, “I can do that.“ In addition to being unoriginal, I find this not interesting or in the least bit compelling.

Voice is good but needs training; music is fine. 2.5

I'm not against talk-singing, but this just doesn't work for me. Music is decent.

This grew on me quickly. Really unique sound that evokes early America, nods to past country greats, and yet sounds fresh. Songs have some real weight and force to them. Lots of animal mentions. Winner.

I appreciate the use of nature imagery, it’s something that’s been on the way out in modern songwriting for a long time. Production really captures a modern lonely prairie feeling quite nicely.

Modern American classic, epitomizes the vibe of the American west. 3.5

This album is a great introduction into the strange strain of Americana/Folk mastered by the likes of Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Tom Waits. The tone of the album is beautifully described by Callahan’s own lyric in the opening song “Jim Cain” in which he confesses, “I used to be darker / Then I got lighter, then I got dark again.” There’s a seeming ebb and flow between darker and lighter numbers, such as the humorously profound “Eid Ma Clack Shaw” followed by the ethereal esotericism of “The Wind and the Dove.” Callahan’s baritone voice makes this the perfect hypnopompic album for an autumnal bonfire or a case of white line fever.

Sometimes he wishes we were an eagle? An eagle? A specific eagle? All of us? One eagle? I’m not sure this wish would work.

sometimes we wish I was an eagle too, bill

Det finns så många av den här typen av singer/songwriter/"americana"-album. Men Bill Callahan har en röst och frasering som sticker ut. Dessutom en historieberättare. Produktionen för låtarna framåt. Men det blir inte mer än småtrevligt i längden.

Atmospheric instrumentals, but the vocals seemed monotone and dull.

ég á í örlitlum vandræðum með sóða bill. er mjög tilgerðarleg músík en þrátt fyrir það finnst mér þetta yfirleitt mjög gott. 4.

This was an interesting one. It took me a few minutes to get used to him mostly speaking instead of singing. I liked that I could understand everything he was saying and I liked the lyrics. None of the songs particularly stood out to me and I don't think I'd listen to it again, but I am glad I listened to it.

Sometimes I wish I there wouldn’t be albums like this on this list.

Awful

Really strong song writing on this one. Don’t know how often I’ll come back for casual listening, but I reckon I’ll be in the mood to listen to this bad boy all the way through.

A soft 4 - Not bad, but not a super compelling album. The instrumentals were great. Vocals were hit or miss for me.

6/10

great voice, resonant songs with lyrics full of ideas and poetic snippets

Folky... 2.5 stars

2.78

Good!

Is it my favourite Smogahan album? No. Is it a good Smogahan album? Absolutely. Mid 3s.

10/1001 Bill Callaghan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I only discovered Bill Callaghan in the last year to two years and this was the first I'd listened to of his solo stuff and Smog's. It's categorised as country, but fuses so many other influences into this to great effect. The baritone/almost spoken word aspect of it fuses so well with the sumptuous arrangements. Lyrically, there's a philosophical quality that sometimes verges on gloom and despair. There's experimentation here and whilst not all of it works, it predominantly does. Great stuff.

It's a beautiful, delicate and intimate record. Musically, I loved how stripped down the arrangements are, they leave a lot of room for Callahan's deep, expressive voice, which drives the songs. I also loved the string parts, they are absolutely gorgeous. Callahan's writing for me was the highlight of the album. It feels poetic, clever and personal, and some moments are very touching. Most songs are very good, the odd one out is "Invocation of Ratiocination" which is pretty short and weird, but I feel like it plays a role in the album in complementing the sound palette. "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" is super funny and it's a great song. "Rococo Zephyr" is melancholic and beautifully written. His raspy singing in "My Friend" is also excellent. "All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast" is conceptually very interesting, the strings are very pretty, and it's overall an excellent song. For me this is a 9, and I'm torn between 4 and 5. For the slow, intimate vibe and compared to other Folk records, it feels a clear 5 star. But as an overall album, it isn't such an easy listen or so accessible, nor it has catchy hits. I'll give it 4 for now and think about it for a week or so.

His voice reminds me of the singer from the Silver Jews. The instrumentation is wonderful.

It's was pretty good kinda slow. A solid album, but I won't listen again.

• zzzzzzzzz . . . Apnea inducing

The darkness of Nick Drake and the voice of William Prince. This was a gem that I’ve never listened to before.

Interesting

Nope, not me. Elton, Billy, James, even Jeff (Buckley) and Elliott (Smith) at times, but not this guy. As I've said in other reviews, it's not that I think it's bad, it's just not for me. Emphasis on the 'for' and not the 'me'. Nope nope nope.

Was this written and produced by a large language model? I feel so bad for the talented musicians who got suckered into taking this gig.

Hypnotic and lyrically both complex and simple. Loved it and will seek out more of his stuff.

Likte da ikkje

I want to weep tears of wonder at how beautiful this is. This is so absolutely sonorous and enveloping and great. I didn't really know it. I knew him and I knew he was good, but I wasn't ready for just how beautiful it was. Faith/Void is the highlight of all highlights. It comes in at nearly 10 minutes, but it's all so worth it. As an aside, to give five stars to a new discovery like this two days after giving five to a pure nostalgia fest like RATM shows the power of (a) the Project and (b) music.

An interesting folk album, but it's a bit boring. I can't go see myself listening to this. I already forgot I listened to it yesterday.

Not for me, first track was pretty nice though. Dig the vibrato.

Maybe hire a singer

third album so far of a white guy talking over a guitar. If I have to hear it again, I'd prefer it be Johnny Cash.

I also wish this guy was an eagle so he couldn’t sing talk to me anymore. “Fucking me down” instead of “fucking me up” made me laugh out loud. I’m sick of hearing how these singer/songwriter fucks are usually considered lyrical geniuses & master storytellers or whatever when poetry is still like the least popular art form. Coffee shop open mic level shit. There ARE 10/10 singer/songwriter lyrical geniuses. He ain’t one. A song like “All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast” is a good track, but I can find things like saying “brain tree” twice when it was already established in the first line. I hate feeling treated like a dummy, I knew the metaphor, didn’t need to be reminded. Fine, but not a genius. Don’t think I needed to hear this before I died. This fucked my day down. 3 liked songs.

It’s time to put Bill Callahan away

Nah

mid

Es esch huere schwerig das albom z bewärte. Einersiits fendi dass es huere schön esch. Sini sanfti stemm met de geile instromänt wo so guet passed dezue. E wiitere guete ponkt esch de Ufbau vo de einzelne Songs. Es chond emmer weder es elemänt dezue oder god wäg ond zwar so, dass es ned so vorussehbar esch aber trotzdem no guet. Dör das bliibts au spannend. E wiitere Ponkt esch, dasi chuum cha säge, weles Lied us dem Albom mis Lieblingslied esch. Es esch also ned eis wo velecht eis oder zwöi gueti hed, de räscht aber alli gliich töned ond ned wörk guet send. Trotzdem hani au Kritik. För mech esches secher fascht e chli sehr Sad. Do cha de Bill Callahan ned vel deför, es esch eifach ned so mini Musig. Öppis anders wommer cha kritisiere esch, dass mer kes Lied wörklech ufgfalle esch im Senn vo ah esch no es geils Lied. Wenns no so es highlight gäbt, wärs Albom nomol düdlech besser.

Very good

I adored this album

Not much singing - not to my taste

I tried listening to this at the start of the day but I couldn't connect. Listening to it now, in a foggy afternoon on a Monday, this is perfect. It forced me to slow down and reflect on what I was doing. Great album. Fav song: Rococo Zephyr

Beautiful music, only moderate voice

Perfect!

Great!

ovo u stvari nije tako loše? iako nije za mene. čudno

taiteilija puhuva mies sanantoisto riimejä huhhuh

A little hard to get past the slow talking vocals. Very mellow

Music was ok but the vocal style was very odd

Had never heard of this guy before but damn. I loved this record. Definitely not country as this site says. I saw someone say doom county or apocalyptic country and I think that fits. It’s really good. I’m not a country fan at all, this is more like dark gothic folk. Fantastic. His voice isn’t spectacular but it fits the music and the vibe so well. I'm a little scared to look up anything else by him because I feel like it probably will be more along the lines of traditional country and that would be a real shame. 5/5

One of those that comes out of the blue. This is very unique and great. His deadpan voice, the unusual atmosphere few creates and the nice. Loved it

Where in the heck did you find this???

Just not my thing. I guess I don't dig the "I want to sound like I don't give a shit" style of vocals.

Not for me. I like the background music and some of his lyrics are cool, but the voice is too one dimensional for me and often oppositional to the song.

This is an excellent album. It kinda runs it's course 3/4 of the way through but still, every time I come back to this album I'm overwhelmed.

I wanted to go a little higher because I enjoyed some of the soundscapes and simple but well crafted instrumentation but the talk/singing did not work for me and it started to meander after a bit

That was surprisingly good - I thought it was going to get tedious very quickly but I found it mesmerising.

Sometimes, a little too sterile sounding. But there were still some very pretty songs and moments.

A surprising album! Very down to earth and simple. The musicality never gets too indulgent or overly clever. 3.5/5

First of all, I wouldn't catalogue this as a Country album. Many reviews and even some websites, such as RateYourMusic or AlbumOfTheYear, already pointed this out, so I should also take my part on spreading the word. This album reminds me a lot to Silver Jews. It is very peaceful and very relaxing. The instrumentation is gorgeous, but the vocals feel very stale for me. It can feel monotonous at times, as the singing it is closer to be spoken words rather than actual singing. And this is a huge factor, since it makes the record a bit tedious for me. I do also want to stand out that, in spite of saying some positive things about the instrumentation, I do think that it doesn't do good enough to grab my attention, which is focused in the vocals. At the end, in the three times I had listened to this album, I am always left without any type of strong emotion or even interest in coming back, but I won't say it is a bad album.

Faen meg behagelig

requires a certain mood, which I was not in.

All thoughts are prey to some beasts would be enough but the whole record is flawless.

3/5

Not my thing, nothing special or a must listen here

Elmo county music

Wasn't unpleasant but plain enough that it was hard to stay interested. The vocals sound like a man who doesn't want to wake a kid sleeping in the next room. Rococo Zephyr had a richer sound than the first few tracks. Overall, I wouldn't mind hearing it again, but I would never put it on deliberately.

So this guy really only has one way of singing?

quiet and humble sounding. reminds me of lou reed.

me when my hb and i are trying to come up with our new fursonas i like this a lot. personally i fw the vocals a lot it his voice is very soothing, this was a very pleasant listen.

This was interesting but I also couldn’t stand it

Нормальный альбом, интересный голос и звуки, но как-то прошёл фоном

Decent

Imagine if the singer of CAKE made a more reflective album. The singer’s vocal range was frustrating. I wanted to have a bit more emotion in his singing, but his vocal style prohibited that. The songs were a bit repetitive, almost mantra-like (“Faith/Void”). I did like the starkness, I thought that was effective. I was just… expecting more. Top tracks: “All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast,” “My Friend “

Beautiful musical arrangements, terrible voice. Bill Callahan's bland, monotone voice kills the mood. Also, who the heck is Bill Callahan and why does he get a spot on the 1,001 list? Beautiful sounds and solid lyrics save this album from a worse rating.

My initial reaction to this was that he sounded like a cross between Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, neither of whom I like, and there were some weird moments..."How? HOW?" and "ro-co-co." I figured this was going to end up being a 3, but then I kept listening. The more I listened, the more I really enjoyed the vibe, got used to his voice, and ignored the occasional weirdness. The next thing I knew, I was listening to this album on repeat over the course of a whole week, enjoying the hell out of it. At a minimum it's a 4.5. I thought about rounding down, giving it the "weird" penalty like I do for Tom Waits, but it wasn't THAT weird. I'm going for the five. Ended up loving it. Favorite tracks: Jim Cain (nice chill opening, right from the start), Eid Ma Clack Shaw (the punchline makes me laugh - he writes down the perfect lyrics late at night while half asleep and in the morning discovers he's written pure gibberish), Rococo Zephyr (loved the line "I used to be sort of blind, now I can sort of see" - in fact, I liked a lot of the lyrics on this album), My Friend (very cool build-up to when he sings "my friend"), All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast (I liked this one on background, but it's the lyrics that are incredibly powerful and add weight to his singing - the eagle represents powerful disturbing thoughts that chases off the gentler thoughts, leaving the "tree" alone in its pain), Faith/Void (mesmerizing ending track - yeah, I really liked this album).

This is one of the beautiful records by the man who used to be Smog. It is gorgeous. You might not like it and it's OK. Maybe it's not for you. You still deserve love and joy and all the good things. You might love it. If that's true, you are one of my people. I smile at you from the other side of the street, the river, the world. You are blessed, my friend. Thank you Mr. Callahan.

No idea how this could make it on this list. Just talking into an open mic and some instrumentals in the background; no singing. 3/10

Not bad for what it is, but I thought it was a bit too lightweight to be great slowcore and a bit too linear to be great americana.

It's a good modern folk album, but I don't see why it should be here.

Cool americana/chamber folk album. I won't come back to this album, but I appreciated the smooth melancholic vibes it have.

Bill Callahan must be popular with some, but he isn't for me. I don't like his monotone talk-singing, the lyrics are a bit pretentious and the songs are kind of boring. Overrated. Sorry.

Is this someone's uncle or something?

I will always love you 😊 m̷͎̓y̴̥̝̓͜ ̷̢̮͐f̷̗̹́ŗ̶̰͙̊i̸̫͙͕̅̑̽e̴̹̲̎͂̚n̵̓͑͜d̵̢̿̊͗ 👹