Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Det er en lidt skør ting det her. Alternativ country.. Den var svær at komme ind i, men nummeret "All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast" kunne noget. Jeg vil hellere lytte til den her igen end Dolly Parton ihvertfald. Tænkte på danske Peter Wangel flere gange. Nok bare fordi de har samme måde at synge på. - Positivt.

I only knew Sycamore from the first album Woke On A Whaleheart prior to listening to this album. I guess I never knew Bill was so talk-sing-y? Kinda disappointed in the vocals but musically, an interesting and enjoyable album. Favorite song: Too Many Birds Least favorite: Invocation of Ratiocination Knew before? No

Little bit monotonous sound but decent. Good lyrics.

Straddling the line between hammy and sincere. It's almost like a country version of Frank Zappa. So yeah, I dig it!

I think I could see this growing on me, I’m surprised I never got into it before because it seems like something I would have really enjoyed in high school! Some great lyrics and his voice lends to the tone and minimalism of the project really well

my like older millennial friends are obsessed with this dude and i remember like the dance floor of my friend tea's wedding featuring Bill Callahan tracks which was very funny to me... i think i dont exactly get it and it kinda occupies the same corniness that like conscious hip hop does in my mind

This record feels like a quiet walk through an overcast afternoon. The arrangements are gentle, with understated strings and slow, steady guitar lines. It has a touch of Leonard Cohen’s reflective tone, though it’s less heavy, more like a soft daydream. Each track takes its time, letting the mood linger without pushing too hard. There's a subtle melancholy that feels comforting, like an old memory you can’t quite place.

It was a good listen but in the end I was in no rush for a second listen.

Very chill, folksy

I had a wild weird time listening to this. There's something about the mix that makes his voice sit uncomfortably on top of the music and it's probably *supposed* to be that way. To my shock, I have heard "My Friends" before somewhere, maybe my music app has figured out I'm in the 1001 algorithm, I don't. Feels like an album I may have listened to a lot in my twenties when I had a lot of room for sadboy folk-adjacent music. I'm giving this a 3 but I want to be clear that it's not a three, it's both a 2 and a 4.

In the right time of life and/or mental headspace this fucking slaps

This was pretty soothing. The whole album played like 1 and a half times and I was fine with it because it was easy listening. However, I also didn't notice that it repeated, which has to negatively affect the rating somehow.

Very calming, guys got a nice deep voice

Kinda boring. Don’t really care about it

Хороший сингер-сонграйтер альбом. Спотифай нагенерировал ультра плейлист после этого альбома. Лучшая песня - Jim Cain.

I like the quiet, indie-folk sound but most of the vocals don't really work for me. Hard to rate. Favorite tracks: All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast, Faith/Void

Traces of Lou Reed or Nick Cave, but more musicality, great arrangements, near enjoyable to be honest.

3.5

Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is the second solo album by Bill Callahan, originally released in 2009. Bill Callahan delivers an interesting blend of folk and country on this album. His deadpan vocals are definitely the focal point for me. Some of the production is a bit too much for his vocal style in my opinion. Some of the songs had lush strings that didn't really fit his vibe. I would like to hear just him and a guitar. Still a pretty good album.

An album I’d never heard of before, and not being a fan of country I didn’t have high hopes, but was again pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed this very much, will I come back to it, not totally sure, but glad Iv come across this album and believe it deserves its place on the list.

I enjoyed it more than expected. I really like the simple yet beautiful guitar, some hints of horns, and the deadpan vocals were a little off-putting at first but ended up growing on me. It definitely shines most in the poetic lyrics which are usually pretty tragic but find a beauty in the sadness, and often leave room for much interpretation. 6/10

He has a rich, mesmerizing voice

This could have only ever come out in 2009. I mean, there is a song called Too Many Birds. There are definitely some beautiful moments here, but it’s ultimately too samesy for an entire album for me.

Gentle singer-songwriter, a bit foreboding-sounding at times

What I do like about BC is how simple effective Melodie’s are married to intricate, exquisite production values. This isn’t the best I’ve heard of him, but it does give a nice nudge for me to do a deep dive …

Some ideas could stand to be more fully formed, but Callahan’s melancholy and yearning are powerful. Reminds me of a folksier Cohen.

This was a bit below three. Not so bad it was a two, but lacked anything compelling to make me listen to it twice

It's good and its enjoyable. I think it's anachronic tho

It's fine, i don't like this style of singing that sounds just like talking, it feels like there is no passion riding on the sound waves. But it's only my opinion. I have the impression that his voice can be really amazing but he just perhaps needs to refine his style a little bit more. Having said that, I listened to his two more recent albums (2022 and 2024) and he seems to use the same style and he sounds the same, so I'm not sure if I will ever like one of his albums. But that's fine, I am just one person with my own opinions.

I thought this was decent. Not really my type of music, but it's different and got some good ideas.

Soothing. Nice. Sort of boring.

Ahh yes an artist who straddles that line between spoken word and singing. It’s like it’s a Lou Reed album if Lou was slightly happier with life. I would say that Bill Callahan is a lot less poetic than Lou Reed. Maybe he just didn’t do as many drugs. I don’t know. I’m flying off the cuff with my knowledge and thoughts of an artist. It’s not bad for background music but you won’t be playing it at parties or using it as your main sample when you DJ Choice cut: The Wind and the Dove

Very mellow, poetic and a little boring. After 30 minutes I was willing it to do something a little different to keep me engaged, and it did, and it was a bit cringy. Maybe if I was in the mood for this I could really like it, but I’m not in that place right now, so it’s getting middle marks.

I didn't hate it, I quite enjoyed it. Prog Country for the win

Day 39 - July 10th, 2024 Mid. 3/5

Usually not my bag, but I kinda dug on most of this. Except for that last song. That was a ten minute song that could've easily been 2 mins. And shoulda been. Repeating the same line for 8 full mins is just playing with yourself.

This was cool. It honestly just felt like generic 2000s indie. It sounded like 15 different artists from my youth. Not bad! I enjoyed it.

Not bad but I found myself zoning out a lot during it's run. 2.5 bumped to a 3. It probably shouldn't even be on this list if we're being honest.

gentle, drawn out, sad lyrics .... love his take indie/folk rock. I don't love it but I don't hate it. That's all I got for this one.

Крепкий альбом, но я не любитель такого жанра

Alternative countrya ja on kyllä ihan siistiä. Jotkut kappaleet on kuin musikaalista. Sit on myös perinteisempää countrya. Parhaat: Eid Ma Clack Shaw, All Thoughts Are Pray For Some Beast, Rococo Zephyr

Hyvä!

Missed this at the time but was listening to plenty of similar stuff, Timber Timbre, Bonny Primce BIlly, Sun Kill Moon. This fits right in with those. It's nice enough, a rare country-tinged album I can get along with. But it is a bit more of the same. It was OK.

Good

There’s a bit of wit in this. Generous 3.

it sounds like its a parody on songs that try to mean something profound, in the style of folksy music. I dont like it but I can't hate it either

I get Leonard Cohen/Nick Cave/Jack Johnson vibes from his vocals... it's good, but his low voice makes the songs feel extra sleepy. Some of the instrumentation is very nice, but overall it's a very chill album that's good as background. 3.4

good voice, was a nice singer songwriter album to listen to with some interesting ideas

Country folk, very monotone. Not my thing at all, and ended up liking it in the end. All Thoughts are Prey to Some Beast is the highlight for me.

Interesting enough for me to listen again

Bill Callahan es uno de los mejores cantautores alternativos surgidos de la escena indie rock norteamericana. Con un ligero regreso a su inicial estilo lo-fi (cuando se hacía llamar Smog), Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (A veces desearía que fuéramos un águila) es un disco oscuro, en el que Bill Callahan da muestras de enfado y misantropía, pero musicalmente sencillo de escucha en su voz de barítono casi lineal. No hay lugar al engaño, desde el arranque con \"Jim Cain\", se anticipa de lo que vamos a encontrar: introspección y duda. Me gustan los aires orientales que resuenan por detrás en \"The Wind and The Dove\" y el tono semi-épico, con un ritmo que simula el paso del caballo hasta el galope final, de \"All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast\" (Todos los pensamientos son presa de alguna bestia).

Started off very strong, slightly loses momentum.

Unconventional but not so much as to discourage emotional connection. The poetic songwriting is strong enough to justify the eschewing of traditional structure. Gentle piano and string arrangements abound. Didn’t even really mind the monotonous vocals, they somehow fit. Listened to: walking on the high line. Favorite tracks: Eid Ma Craw Shaw, Rococo Zephyr

Ah this is nice. Fav songs - Jim Cain - all the songs are a similar quality so there ain't many particular standouts.

My friends is a great song, the rest range from pretty good to meh.

3.5/5

A fully flat voice Barely sings formal ditties On sweet melodies

Beautiful instrumentals but the vocals were not great.

My Friend is a great tune

This is all quite well put together. Like the production, the vocals, a lot of the lyrics. Something about this one. Something about it, I don't know.

This just isn't my genre, but I did think it was good for the genre. There were bits I actually liked a lot. The singing vaguely reminded me of something like Calvin Johnson. I don't especially dig the baritone vocal style. 3/5

Pretty, but not really for me. I’m glad I got to check this out but I don’t see this being something I go back to. C… +?

Really enjoying the composition of Eid Ma Clack Shaw. The strings were unexpected, but add a ton of depth to his fairly non-dynamic (verging on deadpan) delivery. I found myself bouncing along. Invocation of Ratiocination is eerie as shit -- almost like a Boards of Canada song. I found this to be a fairly light and sleepy album. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I do have a hard time with the vocals. For some reason deep non-dynamic droning vocals just turn me off; it is for this same reason that I cannot get into a number of other bands. This falls pretty middle of the pack for me.

These songs have a Johnny cash vibe. Like he turned up the mic volume over the instrumental. Wasn't terrible to listen to but wasn't the intriguing. 3 stars

Good voice, calm tunes, nice strings. High 3.

I enjoyed this Artist and Album - hadn't heard of either before. Relaxing vibe, beautiful voice and some interesting lyrics

Unusual genre – country prog? Most of the tracks are pretty long (though none overstay their welcome) and any instrumentation/melody changes within songs are very gradual and subtle. Bill Callahan's voice is old-fashioned, almost Johnny Cash-esque but with a less pleasant vocal quality. Sounds a bit underproduced. It's a weird juxtaposition with the otherwise fairly clean production, but still cool-sounding regardless. Also fun to hear the half-spoken half-sung vocal style that seems to be a rarity in the post-2000s era of music. Beautiful string playing. It's quite raw-sounding; it really sounds like a string ensemble, or (at some points) an entire Romantic-era orchestra, is playing on the stage behind Callahan. And yet, it's a very thin texture. Generally I'm not a fan of thin textures unless they're placed as a contrast to much thicker, more dramatic textures in other places. That isn't really the case here; the album doesn't have much sense of "flow" or "ups and downs". It commits to one thoughtful, melancholic mood and sticks to that throughout, which definitely limits audience excitement. The strongest instruments are the acoustic guitar and piano. Simple and pretty playing over (mostly) standard chords. The drums, during their appearances, are played lightly and tastefully. 3/5 Key tracks: Jim Cain, Too Many Birds, My Friend

I don’t hate and don’t love it. But it’s pretty good, quite outside of my usual genres. I liked Eid Ma Clack Shaw. Not sure how much I would listen to this in the future but definitely has its place!

Mournful strings and horns over sparce acoustic singer songwriter tracks with distinctive and characterful vocals. Right up my ally. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Jim Cain Date listened: 27/04/24

Fine. Pleasant. Am I a horse?

It was an easy, mellow listen first thing in the morning but I’m not sure how it found it’s way on to this list as it was just a gentle country song compilation. One track in particular raised the general sound so I’m giving a generous low 3*

Didn't mind this. Not one I would play often, but I quite like Bill's voice and his general demeanour. I couldn't hum any of the songs back to you, or name them, but I enjoyed this.

I knew nothing about this. There's a commanding voice reflects the delicacy of the songs. It reminded me of Richard Hawley, never a bad thing. There's a very polished sound, but maintaining a DIY feel. Monday morning music.

Monotone and interesting in parts. Enjoyed more than I hated

Loooove the instrumentals. Lovely. Buuuuut I cant just lie and say the vocals dont bother me. Its not his tone. I like Lee Hazlewood and Jonny Cash and Protomartyr's Joe Casey...other singers with a more gutteral talk-sing kind of style and range. But theres something about Calahan's, i think its two things: I tend not to connect with a singer when it sounds like they are improvising the melody. Its supposed to sound unlabored, i guess. But to me its clunky. Like I get the image of him reading through a diary and just shooting the melody from the hip. For some it might work...but even when Morrisey of the Smiths does it(Morrisey didnt write the instrumentals, only the lyrics and lyrical melodies) I find myself recoiling a bit. In a similar way, its like the writers prose are getting in the way of my immersion, as opposed to enhancing it. In other words, there is something self concious feeling about the vocals that borders on kiche, or a novelty thing. I think his delivery on the closer track is my favorite, at least the repeated line...its too bad it is underwritten and the second half isnt quite as polished sounding. The second track is a bit closer, but it gets stuck in my head, in a bad way. I really want to like this more than I do. Especially because the sound of the record, and the instrumentals are basically A+ for me. Sorry Bill. Fuck you Bill. Just kidding Bill.

It was alright, not a lot stood out to me really.

the only thing i can compare this to is Black Country New Road. cool for the eclipse but quite niche

Another confusing album for me as it classes as Country. I can't say I really liked it, but I disliked it less than most country music.

I had never heard of Bill Callahan before, and I really enjoyed this album! Ended up listening to a couple of his other albums too. Albums like this one are why I wanted to get into the 1001 albums!

Decent

Don't know who Bill is but enjoyed that enough

Singer/songwriter, lidt country over det, lyder ældre end det er

Not bad. Tom Waites lite

I liked the song where he used horse imagery :) the rest was fine, it did suffer from the 10 minute long song at the end curse again, so +1 for horse -1 for long song

Not what I was expecting - don't know what I expected - I knew nothing of Bill Callahan - but when the talk singing came on and he was going on about nonsense - I was certainly entertained. Entertained is a purpose of an album - so it gets points for that...but otherwise it's not anything special

This was an interesting one, it reminds me a lot of The National, most of the lyrics have a spoken word delivery over very simple guitar with a drum backing track. Musically it's not very complex and the focus is on the lyrics, what he's trying to convey. It has a very melancholy feel throughout. Overall it wasn't bad

I could see this growing on me and going up a star, there's a lot to digest. It's very pretty, very cinematic, kind of gloomy. I do think most of the songs are a little meandering and Callahan's vocals don't exactly do it for me.

To mellow for me

heavy

2.6/5

Baesd on the album cover and sound, i would have thought this was a soft folky release from 1974. Crazy that this is 2009 music. I do like the title, and there is something that just makes me smile when he gets to the lyric "Eid Ma Clack Shaw"... it is so atypical. I do enjoy that track and Too Many Birds. There are some weird choices, like nearly 10 minutes of telling me to put to god away, but an interesting listen.

2,5

Not bad but it didn’t convince me all the way. It still had some good moments.

lots of thoughts and feelings and sincerity

Is this Nick Cave's younger brother?

7/10

Spoken word weirdness. Oddly calming.

Quality singer songwriting which grew on me with every listen. Callahan seems a fascinating artist and one to peruse further.

I was finding it hard to place this. But I definitely enjoyed certain elements of it. Relaxing

This was cool. He has a really nice voice and there was some really interesting bit. Can't say I'll listen to it a lot but I'm glad I have.

Je suis mitigé sur cet album mais je vais donner qu'il y a une unicité à cette album qui est très respectable. Je ne suis pas tellement fan de la voix, mais en même temps c'est tellement original des autres musiciens country que c'est très rafraichissant. Musicalement c'est très bien. Je pense que je devrais le réécouter pour mieux me faire une idée. 6/10

Have no idea how I knew one song, since his name was unfamiliar. It was a smooth and uneventful listen. [0142/1001]

I dont mind this album. I like thr instrumentals but the songs are really long and I dont love the talking singing style

Less boring than I should have found this.

Mucho interesting, thanks 1001.

Alright like.

This is actually kind of beautiful was a little drag at times but damn very nice

Bill Callahan has dropped his 'Smog'moniker and has been flexing his musical muscles with more refined and less lo-fi music under his own name. The music still has the main Smog signifiers though: his baritone voice, lack of choruses, repetative phrases and guitar motifs. The music is understated and acoustic with the odd synth or bubble or electronic surfacing and then disappearing again. Sometimes it's more of an atmosphere piece than a folk album. Best Tracks: Jim Cain; Eid Ma Clack Shaw; Too Many Birds

What a voice! Never heard of BC before. A real surprise and very listenable.

3 - I honestly don't remember a lot about this album, but I do really like a song on here and I remember most of the album being nice enough. I might not go out of my way to listen to it again, but it was a nice experience.

Nice music

o final eh otimo dou 3.5/5 pq o começo me deu uma preguiça

Voz profunda y un tanto melódica para una sucesión de canciones con ritmo tranquilo, sosegado y fácil de escuchar. No había escuchado anteriormente nada de este cantante y no me ha parecido malo

I find his voice calming.

The fact that this is on here and not Smog is kinda baffling to me.

Kinda reminds me a bit of Lambchop. Like Lambchop I find it... okay. It's comfy but beyond that, eh..

Very boring. I didn't like it at all but it's hard to say it wasn't good. Most likely just not for me. The lyrics seemed clever and interesting but the voice was awful and the music wasn't much better.

Det är ok. Men inte mkt mer. Ibland för lite melodi

Bra. Men inte jättebra. Blir lite enformigt. Det är dock behagligt. Rösten är intressant. Han sjunger inte så bra men det är ändå en rätt skön röst. My friend är bäst! Texten, I ended up in search of ordinary things Like how can a wave possibly be? Ironi? För inte kan det vara så banalt som det på ytan är? Kommer nog inte lyssna på igen.

Trevligt och annorlunda

Även om han har en djup och bra röst så sjunger han inte superbra och det märks att han är rätt begränsad. Med det sagt så är det behaglig lyssning och texter bättre än genomsnittligt. Bäst låtar är All thoughts are prey to some beasts och Jim Cain.

Very interesting. Had not heard of him nor heard his music, but I was drawn in by this album. Something about the way he composes and performs, can't quite put my finger on it, that I like.

Nothing special

Prog-Country ? Wtf lol j'ai vu cette classification en quelque part. Peut-etre juste le titre de l'album qui fait country. C'est beaucoup plus folk / chansonnier. Pas mauvais mais c'est vraiment produit à fond, mais rien n'en sort vraiment. 3.5

Sounds like it wants to be calm & resolute but doesn't have the confidence to sit still. Too many frills in the backing makes it all less memorable. Last song sounds like Silver Jews but doesn't really get there. music: appreciated. (⌐o_0)

Lots to like here, nice voice, nice production, nice songs.

I’m already somewhat familiar with Bill Callahan, but only his newer music. Listening to this album, it doesn’t seem like he’s changed much over the years. Not a bad thing at all though. Wish some of the songs were shorter, but that’s really the only complaint I can make. Really nice album all around. I should really listen to it again sometime. 7.5/10 1. Too Many Birds 2. Jim Cain 3. Eid Ma Clack Shaw

Bit of a strange album, really enjoy his voice and some of the songs are fantastic. Whereas others I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I will definitely be listening to more of his stuff though.

AJ: nice playing and damn near poetic. The dry deep voice is different, and the songs seem to have no structure. It’s kinda cool, but so strange. Feels like he’s trying to be funny, but it’s just funny.

Lyrically interesting, I really appreciated All Thoughts are Prey to some Beast for the beautiful imagery, and Faith/Void also resonated with me :)) different vocals than expected though, not my favorite but I enjoyed vibing to it just this once, gave me Montana or Wyoming camping vibes? Americana-core for Thanksgiving yuh

mild and lovely, kind of like a more hippie James Taylor. 3 stars.

Definitely enjoyed this one. Not sure if I've heard Bill Callahan before, he's got a very distinct voice that I really dig. The songs that hit here really hit, and the rest of the album was pretty good too. Not too much stylistically to speak of, it seems like a singer-songwriter type of project with a special focus on his talents as a singer. Aside from, of course, the "Invocation" track, which is a really cool ambient song. But overall, definitely a good album. Always fun to find an album I like that I've never even heard of. Also the title is bizarre and pretty funny. Favorite tracks: Jim Cain, Too Many Birds, Invocation of Ratiocination. Album art: Pretty unassuming, horses in a field. Honestly kind of amazed this is from 2009, based on the cover, the font and everything, I would've guessed late '60s or early '70s. I like that. 3.5/5

This is good like every Callahan/Smog release but I’ve always had a bit of a disconnect with it because it’s like too pretty for one of his albums - which is maybe why it’s so beloved?

I like that one song but a pretty wild and bland ride otherwise. Good voice though

I didn’t get it until “My Friend” and “All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast” and then I understood it.

Nytt för mig. Älskade starten. Håller inte helt igenom. Avslutas vackert med Frith/Void. It’s time to put God away.

It's fine. Talk singing. It's not my bag but the guy is a talented lyricist.

A nice background noise, but nothing grabbed my attention until a track called 'Outer space' - but then I found this wasn't on the album, but was actually a John Grant track recommended by Spotify (the album had ended)!

While I certainly don't hate this album, it definitely feels like it made the list through a bit of recency bias when the book was published. Its a good album, but seems a little obscure to make a list like this one. Too Many Birds and My Friend are very good songs that have been added to my playlist.

Decent, quite calm and atmospheric album

3.5

This could have been a solid 4 star album, were it not for the occasionally cringing style of singing. There are definitely some pretty good moments, and I quite like the sound of the band and overall arrangement, but often I got the feeling that music and lyrics had been written completely independently and everything was forced together afterwards. It's ti ... hi hi hi hime... to put God a-way (repeated endlessly).

Some interesting music here albeit rather slooow. And the vocals don't appeal to me.

This is a dreamy, mellow, laid back, almost spoken word album that was easy to listen to. And ultimately, I suspect, just as easy to forget.

pretty nice. "faith / void" doesn't need to be 9 minutes long and "my friend" felt forgettable, but "jim cain" and "all thoughts are prey to some beast" are really good

Surprisingly into this

I've enjoyed some Smog in my time. This was ok.

Lovely voice, prefer smog. This was not as interesting

Irritating and captivating at the same time. Need to listen more, but not today.

surprisingly pleasant.

Very strange that this is on here while there are no albums by Smog. Pleasant stuff nonetheless

Interesting find - beautiful moments and occasionally sublime - but words feel too awkward to be a great record. Still fun and pretty.

Really pretty and calming voice, dude should be reading audiobooks. Why name album after Eagle but put horse on cover? Overall p good (3.5/5)

Beautiful voice, average music, average experience. Bill Callahan seemed to mastered a certain subgenre of low-fi pop/ kind of country(?) music. And while some of the songs were interesting, with a simple set up going for few minutes, it was just too overwhelming for the duration of the whole album. It was nice to listen to "Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle", but more likely it will be my first and last encounter with Bill.

Not previously familiar. Pretty nice.

Another Bill Calahan/Smog record that I swerve past, saluting it, lingering over parts, but not falling in love. That might happen one day. This is at least a good record, could be a great one, but a suspicious part of me doesn't trust it completely, the theatricality, the seductive podcaster monologue enunciations. Which is absurd: so much that I love revels in artificiality and exaggeration. I hope to return to this one day, for now a rueful 3.

No guardé temas pero fluye bien.

Quite an interesting album. Bill Callahan has an enormous presence thanks to his incredible voice telling tales of wonder on this album. Pretty nifty singer-songwriter album overall.

I went into this thinking I would like it, and the instrumentation and lyrics are great, but Callahan’s vocals really drag it down for me. His voice is very similar to Mark Kozelek’s, which is not something I enjoy. Maybe if the vocals weren’t so front and center in the mix this would work for me.

Moody, somber lyric-driven folky tunes.

Considering it has 'country' in the genre name, this wasn't too bad. The growly spoken word stuff is a bit silly though, it perhaps takes itself a bit seriously

This was... Hard to quantify really. I absolutely listened to it all and stayed engaged but did I enjoy it? No, not particularly. It wasn't offensive and the music was quite nice to listen to, but I just don't enjoy talky folk and his deep voice seemed to be almost sleep inducing to me.

I listened to this twice, two days apart and it sounded much better, nicely integrated the second time around. I like the soft electric guitar and string arrangements. The up-front spoken vocals are still the stumbling block for me.

chill but kinda ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It takes a few songs for this album to warm up, but once it gets there, this is really nice. Not a fan of Bill Callahan's vocal, but there are some lovely guitar and string arrangements that I'm enjoying here. The lyrics are thoughtful and eloquent, worth reading on their own like poetry. Fave Songs: Rococo Zephyr, Too Many Birds, All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast, Faith/Void, The Wind and the Dove

Decent singer songwriter

Bill Callahan is yet another musician that has never come onto my radar before now. I can’t speak of any preconceptions as it is someone I’ve never heard of. the album art seems peaceful and happy, so let’s see what the album brings. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Too Many Birds I listened to this together with my stinky other half while driving from Salisbury to Bath, and our opinions seems quite in sync. At the beginning, we both found the music quite charming, but we disliked the vocals. We both discussed how sometimes in music, if you’re a man with a deep voice then it doesn’t really matter if you can sing well or not (Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, etc.). However, as the album went on, it did start to win us both over. I think I said at one point, “This is actually quite lovely,” to which there was agreement from smelly Rach. Overall, this was a nice album but I’m not sure it was strong enough to keep me listening again.

This was pretty good

A little bland and sleep-inducing, but never unpleasant.

Fine and interesting folk and perhaps one I should have liked more than I did but on first listen it didn't grab me. One to revisit in the future though.

Country que funcionou bem como música ambiente.

A bit darker than I was imagining

The title of this album angered me. How can more than one person be AN eagle?! Anyhoo, the music was quite good. A but Jack Johnson but with less Hawaii.

One of those artists that I've never got around to listening to. Enjoyable relaxing background music. Reminds me of a cross between Leonard Cohen and Willy Mason.

Dit was behoorlijk goed, eerlijk gezegd!

Cohen vibes? Chill modern folk times

I like the tone of his voice and the slow haunting melodies. I feel like the product is worse than the sum of its parts, though. Something doesn’t fully click. Good! Not great. High 3, really

huh

Wow. Never heard of this guy before . I like it.

Schon gut, aber bisl langweilig.

I immensely liked his voice, but the songs are annoying and repetitive. So it's not bad, but not something I'll listen to again by myself. "Invocation of Ratiocination" was an excellent surprise to break the feeling of repetition, but it's very dislocated from the whole album, so it loses the primary purpose.

Better than I thought

Longtime Smog fan but I haven't kept up on his career under his own name. I liked this, though I don't know if it tops the list of what I've heard.

Really interesting album. I usually can't turn albums like this off fast enough, but something about this one kept my attention. The tracks are very well arranged, and the overall gothic country feel is something I'm not sure I've ever heard before. Favorite track: All Thoughts are Prey to Some Beast

Ok. Good "in the background" music. I like his voice and how in my ear it sounds on this recording. Besides that, it was a ok album to me. The last song, "Faith/Void" surprised me and I quite enjoyed it.

I admittedly could have given the lyrics a closer listen but I don't feel too embarrassed I hadn't heard of him prior to today. He's like if the Silver Jews and the National (I know, I know, they came after) had a step child. I think he's drawing a bit of inspiration from Astral Weeks (the strings and general arrangements, the pastoral imagery and overexposed treatment of the album art, some chord progressions) but it doesn't have the emotional weight for me. It's pleasant enough but I think I likely wouldn't have kept listening if I stumbled upon it on my own. I don't mind his voice as much as Marty but I also don't find anything crazy memorable here. I appreciated getting a different texture on "My Friend" but I dont know if that lifts it to a 4. Invocation was a HARD listen. I dont see what the dissonance added. Ended well enough though

This album has no business being on this list. Having said that it was fine. I wish the quality of his voice matched the quality of the music underneath it. The final track “Faith/Void” was my favorite.

Pretty bad vocals and very sleepy but I at least appreciate the poesy of these lyrics. 5/10

Voice sounds a little bit like Lou Reed, better maybe. Songs are sweet about relationships and animals. Pleasant, but I’ll not be returning. Low three.

Folk. Tranquilo y agradable.

Bill Callahan (à prononcer impérativement avec une voix de coboye) vient se propulser en tant que favori au concours du pire combo pochette/nom d'album du générateur. Mais reprennons chacun des éléments un à un: - la pochette est tout simplement une image de chevaux pâturants dans le pré, à laquelle Bill a appliqué un filtre lumineux (luminosité augmenté environ à 78%). À ceci, Bill a ajouté un titre en police d'écriture Lucida Calligraphy, que vous pouvez retrouver sur tout bon logiciel de traitement de texte. - le nom d'album contient une faute de grammaire. En effet, il aurait fallu choisir un titre comme "Sometimes I Wish We Were Eagles", ou encore "Sometimes I Wish I Was An Eagle", car plusieurs personnes ne peuvent être un seul aigle

I write shit haikus. Bill writes in the same style. Three stars shine brightly.

i'm not entirely sure i have heard anything like bill callahan's sometimes i wish we were an eagle before. calling this country is so limiting. there are a lot of country elements, yes, but then callahan will throw in beautiful string instruments or a tinkling piano, or use a south asian-like sound to start and begin "the wind and the dove." both aren't commonly found in country or folk music. he ends his album with "faith/void" to examine and disregard god while finding his own peace. his musical choices come across as bold. an unexpectedly enjoyable album. it took a few listens to enjoy and appreciate it. i continually find new aspects the more i listen. 3.5

I've not ever heard anything quite like this album, in or outside of this project. The album is labeled "alternative country" and while that's as fair a label as any, it still doesn't quite pinpoint Bill Callahan's style here. I will say, the combination of the specific "alternative" approach, Callahan's voice, and the songwriter lyrics gives all of this a very dark, melancholy, almost gothic overhang. Both vocally and musically, it's almost like hearing the lovechild of Willie Nelson and someone like Leonard Cohen. It's all a very unique intersection, and I can't say that I didn't find it intriguing! This album won't go down as a favorite, but I am very glad for the unique listening opportunity. Also, this album was recorded in the suburb where I live, a nice but fairly unremarkable piece of a larger metro area, so that was a fun coincidence to discover!

This is a weird one. Serene music with a strange vocal styling, I think it would take repeated listens to judge if it was above a 3 star. While the music is beautifully played, I’m not sure that this is a unique or important work that needs to be on this list.

Lovely voice and guitar, nothing mind blowing

Genres: Alternative country Formed: ? Run time: 9 songs, 48 min 14 sec I’m not into Country but I didn’t mind this album. It’s very calm and almost ethereal. The sound is clean and simple with the focus on the lyrics. My Rating: ***

Pffff, qué rápido que cansa la voz de este tipo. Lo instrumental está bien, básico pero efectivo. La ultra caga con la voz bro

Found very little joy from this. Didn't enjoy the vocals. The music was passable. I dislike the album cover, seriously what is that?

A very nice album, focuses more on well orchestrated and tastefully put together songs than on some of the hard edges and experimental bent of the SMOG records and those weird song structures that both make those exciting and frustrating. Think I prefer exciting and frustrating although this record probably a better entry gate into Callahan's wider work.

Didn't make much of an impression on me this one, and I'm writing this review a week later so I remember even less of it. Not inclined to try it again.

As much as I like the instrumentation of this album, Bill's talk-singing doesn't do it for me on most of the tracks. It's a shame because lyrically the whole thing is pretty interesting, I just found it to be an incredibly tough listen. Favorite track is probably the last one, Faith/Void.

I literally fell asleep while listening. The worst part was that I then had to re-listen.

s.s., country, 2009 -> 2

Chatice

Мимо кассы

It's always nice to hear something that sounds a little different on the 1001 albums list, but the dirge-like repetitiveness of the songs on this album just kind of grates after awhile. I'm sure this is somebody's favorite album of all time, but there's a lot more interesting music being made out there.

I usually like this vaguely folksy singer songwriter stuff. The music was pleasant but his lyrics are abysmal.

leonard cohen with no aura

Nor rlly my type of music

2.5. Interesting and can see why some would like it but not really my thing.

Alright then... Country chamber pop. Nice to discover another new artist, but it's not really speaking to me. I get what he's going for, I know plenty of 40 something dad's that try to create the same sound 😂

Der amerikanische Musiker Bill Callahan, dem deutschen Publikum vor allem als Smog bekannt, veröffentlichte dieses Album im April 2009 über Drag City – seinen zweiten Longplayer unter eigenem Namen. Aufgenommen wurde es zwischen August und Oktober 2008 hauptsächlich im The Track Studio in Plano, Texas, mit einzelnen Sessions im Cacophony Studio in Austin; das klangliche Ergebnis trägt diese geografische Ruhe direkt in sich: weiträumig, unaufgeregt, mit viel Luft zwischen den Instrumenten. Produziert hat Callahan das Album selbst, arrangiert wurden Streicher und Bläser von Brian Beattie – und dieser Orchestrierung verdankt die Platte ihren unverwechselbaren Charakter. Inhaltlich kreist Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle um Verlust, Zweifel und eine Art ruhige Resignation. Callahans Bariton – halb gesprochen, halb gesungen – steht stets im Zentrum, während sich die Arrangements behutsam darum falten. „Jim Cain" eröffnet das Album mit einem der stärksten Momente der Singer-Songwriter-Musik dieses Jahrzehnts; „Eid Ma Clack Shaw" mischt schwarzen Humor mit surrealer Bildsprache, und „Too Many Birds" erreicht eine fast meditativ-feierliche Qualität. Das fast zehnminütige „Faith/Void" schließt das Album mit einer langsamen, hypnotischen Auflösung. Was diese Platte von vergleichbaren Werken des Genres unterscheidet, ist die konsequente Weigerung, sich Wirkung durch Lautstärke oder Dringlichkeit zu erkaufen. Callahan vertraut dem Schweigen, den Pausen, dem Unausgesprochenen – und genau dort entfaltet die Musik ihre eigentliche Kraft. Kein Song übertreibt, kein Arrangement drängt sich auf. Ein Album, das seinen Hörer nicht sucht, ihn aber findet – und nicht mehr loslässt.

Boring

I can't really put my finger on why, but I did not like this album.

Pretty, and easy background music. But not sure I'd gravitate to this myself, although I've no need to skip or change music.

Didn’t care much for this. Sounded to me like he was trying too hard to be Leonard Cohen. Very off-putting, didn’t sound authentic

Had never heard of this artist, and found this an interesting if melancholic listen.

zzzz

Хто це? Ну таке)))

Monotone not singing apocalyptic country folk is not my jam, baby. 2⭐️

vaag maar okayish

eh

It’s fine until he starts to speak.

didn't take away a ton from this album. i was hoping for more of a folksy album, but this seemed like a mix between Nick Cave and then depression in the form of Americana.

Really calming and mellow, but the spoken word portions and repetitive lyrics drag this score way down. I read the Wikipedia article, I have no idea how this album had so much fanfare.

Not for me

Not for me

This was....Not For Me.

One of the more bland albums on this list. Started off ok then went on and on, quite repetitive and the monotonous tone was enough to send me to sleep. Very average.

Started off ok, then became tedious. For albums that I don't like, I'd like to suggest a replacement. Instead of Sometimes I Wish Were An Eagle, why not Fly Like An Eagle by Steve Miller Band? A egregious omission from this list!

No thanks.

De vraag wat vind je ervan kan soms een best moeilijke vraag zijn, toch maar nog eens luisteren en nog eens. Tiny desk opgezocht: saai. Ik zal daarom nu dingen opnoemen die ik niet leuk vind: De vrouw die rokoko zingt De manier waarop hij my friend zingt Zijn manier van zijn baritone zingen. Naast dat vind ik het poëtisch niet bijzonder hoogstaand, tis af en toe een beetje clichématig gedaan. In het laatste nummer heeft hij een sterke boodschap maar mis ik wel de diepgang, de kracht ligt dan niet in herhaling want het nummer gaat 9 minuten door. Dingen die ik wel leuk vind van het album: De sfeer die word neergezet. Ik ben enorm liefhebber van de akoestische gitaar, wat dat betreft begint het album ook vrij veelbelovend. Productie is ook goed. Ik zou graag willen weten wat Tess van t album vindt, ik geef het 2 sterren dus misschien vind ze t wel erg goed

It’s not bad, per se, but it is entirely unmemorable and bland.

161/1001 First listen. I don’t have much of an ear for this one. It all sounds like the same monotonous song. I dug the vibe though. 4/10

Never heard of this guy before. Any riff on country music isn’t going to down well with me and this didn’t offer any surprises. Not as bad as standard country music, but not something I would listen to again.

not the bill callahan i would reach for

The deadpan delivery got old pretty quickly for me. Favorite track: Rococo Zephyr

2.5

Previously unknown. Oddly compelling.

I accidentally listened to this on shuffle. Jim Cain followed by My Friend was cool because both songs were good! And then I didn't like any others. I don't think it was like godawful. They did at least have some decent music going on, but a lot of it was boring or not for me.

Idk man I feel like it's some dad in the midwest that busts it wide open for this album it was just generally a little boring for me. Had it's moments but very hard to follow along. Not a lot of variation or diversity and felt like one long thought but not in a good way. Highlights: Rococo Zephyr, Faith/Void (but like not the whole 9 min, more like 2:00-5:00

I just didn't vibe with the voice

I wanted to like this but i did not

Sometimes hints at being beautiful, sometimes just simply drab and boring. Feels like an attempt at being Matt Berninger but with less emotion in his voice and less lyrical impact.

A bit slow for my tastes. But it wasn't horrible.

It’s ok

2,2/5

no more singer/songwriter albums please

It's fine. Mostly pretty good, but a few really bad ones being it down as a whole.

¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

2+

Listless

I'm so close to liking this...

Can’t get behind the vocal style

Je suppose que c'est un album que beaucoup de gens adorent, mais franchement, je me suis ennuyé. Et pourtant, je suis pas forcément réfractaire aux albums acoustiques assez dépouillés. Mais alors là, j'ai pas compris l'intérêt. J'ai pas compris pourquoi l'auteur s'est dit que cet album était spécialement intéressant à écouter. Jusqu'à présent, la décennie que je note le moins bien dans sa sélection, c'est les années 2000, mais je comprends pas comment il a fait cette sélection mais elle est plutôt décevante jusque-là. Je suppose que je devrais parler un peu plus de la musique ? Ben franchement, c'est entré une oreille et c'est sorti par l'autre. J'ai vraiment juste eu l'impression d'avoir un random américain qui fait des balades à l'américaine et je suppose que le reste du monde est censé se pâmer d'admiration ? J'ai même pas encore eu un seul Bob Dylan, bon sang. Je suis sûr que l'album sera bien noté et que je serai dans la minorité, mais hé, c'est mon profil et mes notes, je fais ce que je veux.

I really tried with this one, but it just bored me to death. The whole album feels slow, muted, and stuck in neutral. Nothing grabbed me, nothing surprised me, and nothing made me want to lean in. It has that soft, introspective singer songwriter vibe, but for me it never builds or goes anywhere interesting. Every track kind of blends into the next until it all turns into background noise. I get that some people probably find this thoughtful or meditative, but it did absolutely nothing for me.

Well this guy can talk a good song. I listened to this driving to work at 5am on a cold Sunday morning and it was good company, properly in the moment. However I can’t get to grips with the talking. I will give it another go though. Would have been 3 but because of the talking it’s a ……….

Not for me fr

Boring

No private session used for Spotify. Pleasant music, but didn't care for the dude's voice as it sounded like it was struggling a lot. I can't imagine ever listening to this again.

In the little corner of singer-songwriter music, where lyrics often outshine sound and monotony can reign, Bill Callahan stands out for his instrumentals. This isn't your dad with an acoustic guitar, this guy is backed by an orchestra. Some ideas land better (Too Many Birds) than others (Rococo Zephyr). Overall, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is a rewarding album for those, who have the patience for it.

OK.

Nojoo, ihan kiva tunnelma, muttei varmasti tule uudestaan kuunneltua

Vähän huokailuks jäi, mutta ei nyt kovin ärsyttänytkään. 2/5.

Tästä ei kyllä jäänyt mitään käteen. Aika turhanpäiväistä jollotusta. Ei nyt kuitenkaan ärsyttänyt.

This album was not for me. I was a little bored by it. Sonically it was fine, but something about his voice in combination with the folky type instrumentals wasn't working for me. Individually, I liked the instrumentals and his voice, but together I think they were both to mellow and needed some contrast. However, it did pick up for me toward the end of the album. The last 3 songs I enjoyed, but by that point it was too little too late.

Simple songs, more spoken than sung. Interesting but didn’t earn a second listen.

Painfully slow and boring

OK Tier

Hat mich nicht gepackt.

Music isn’t bad but the spoken word style just doesn’t do it for me

Haven't heard of him before. The album reminds me of something but I'm not sure what exactly (Nick Drake? but not really). Overall I wouldn't say it's bad but Bill's monotone voice got boring halfway through 2/5

Just could not get this

Being an eagle sounds pretty freaking badass, I was enjoying the guitar, but then this dude talk-sings, and I'm just not a fan of that style, in general. This is fine, could have gone on not listening. 2*

I was not convinced!!!

This was just okay. I am not familiar with Bill Gallahan , but this was meh.

Qué canciones mas aburridos!!

Odd lounge music

Way too esoteric for me

Songwriting here isn't bad but this dude needs to find someone different to arrange and sing his songs for him. 2 stars or D+.

Faith/void is so soothing. All the songs are long. I liked this album

I'm completely unaware of Bill Callahan, so this is my first time listening to anything by him. I find this to be pretty boring. Sometimes I wonder if this list of 1001 albums just contains some albums that are designed to make you enjoy the really great albums more. It's like: "how can you enjoy the sunshine without the rain?"

It was okay there was 2 standout songs for me but other than those the composition was bland and boring

I have no idea what this is, but the album title, artist name, and artwork have already annoyed me. Is it going to be Country or folk or hipster twee? Or have I got it all wrong and this is going to be awesome? Twee hipster folk sounds right. You know how a great vocal can improve a crap song, or you hear a decent song and think 'this song could be four stars if only the singer was better'? The music here is nice and the vocals are more spoken that sung, but I don't think a better singer would actually improve things. It's that twee, bland niceness that is beyond help. It's fine if you like that sort of thing, or are in the mood for it. It's yet another album by some random American nobody has heard of which has zero business being on this list.

I love country but these songs are bland and boring. His voice is no big deal

Sometimes, I wish Country Music was better. Favorite Track: "My Friend".

I liked it but didn’t love I really liked all thoughts are prey to some beast The music is really nice but I got kind of bored with the vocals and sameness It is a good album for a thoughtful Sunday morning

Bit bland and harmless. It's time to put him away.

498/1001 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 😴

I’m not overly into this album but I can see with the right hallucinogenics this could be a 3. Just depends on the drug. Meh. 2.5

It was okay. Reminds me a little of Leo Kottke, but without the guitar skills. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Exceedingly bland. 2/5

Meh. Solid first track. 2/5

It’s ok. Probably not something I would register to.

Rien ne m'a marqué

Vaya disco más aburrido. Tío, si no tienes ganas de cantar, no cantes.

A boring gentleman, I've heard enough. Half an album is all he's getting

very chill. guy just kind of talking over some nice sounds

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.