J U LY 2 0 19
Ta k e26 6
1 PJHaRVeY(p22)
2 FLYINGLOTUS(p28)
3 PeTeRPeRReTT(p32)
4 BLaCk PeaCHeS(p36)
album
OFTHE
mONTH
9/
18 • UNCUT • JULY 2019
B
illCallahan’sparents
werenationalsecurity
operatives– language
analysts;secrecyis inhis
blood.Whilehehasproduced
a hugecatalogueofsupremely
affectingmusicinthepast 30
years,Maryland’smasterofminimalismcould
neverbeaccusedofoversharing.Over 17 albums–
thefirst 11 assmog,thelattersixunderhisownname
- the52-year-oldhasdevelopedanuncannyknackof
speakingvolumesbygivingverylittleaway,hissongs
aninscrutablemixofallegory,desert-dryhumourand
plausiblepersonaldeniability.Themildlyprurient
fascinationintheindiecommunitywithhispast
romanticdalliances– withthelateCynthiaDall,
’zinequeenlisaCrystalCarver,ChanMarshall(akaCat
Power)andJoannanewsom– stemmed at least in part
fromhowlittleherevealedabout
anyofthem.
Contrastthattothetwinkly
“sonOfThesea”– oneofthe
mostimmediatelyarresting
songsonhisfirstalbuminfive
years– whereCallahanfillsin
hisaudienceonexactlywhathe
hasbeendoingsincetherelease
of2013’samorousDreamRiver:
“I gotmarried,tomywife,she’s
lovely,andI hada son.” This
froma manwho,whenUncut
visitedhimathishomeinaustin,
Texas, five years ago, bridled at
admittingtoanynewloveinhislife,andeven
hemmedandhawedoverconfessing– despite
overwhelmingevidencetothecontrary– that
heowneda bicycle.
a kindofhand-whittledAstralWeeksshot
throughwiththerapystatic,the20-trackShepherd
InA SheepskinVestis withoutdoubtthemost
revealingrecordofCallahan’suniquelyuptight
career;attimesit documentshismarriagetofilmmaker-
turned-psychotherapisthanlyBanks,andtheirlifewith
toddlerBass(asinthefish,nottorhymewith“pace”)
withluminouscandour.hedepictsthesoundsof
SesameStreetdriftingthroughanopendoortointerrupt
hisreverieonthesummer-lovesensation“Confederate
Jasmine”(“Grovercountsto 50 intheotherroomsweetly
forlorn,” hesings).Meanwhile,theone-timenightmare
prowlerofsmog’s 1997 anti-hit“Ex-Con”embraces
suburban life withheavenlygratitudeon“WhatComes
afterCertainty”:“I neverthought
I’dmakeit thisfar,littleoldhouse,
recentmodelcar/AndI’vegotthe
womanofmydreams,andan
imitationEames.”
however,if Callahannow
hassomewherecomfortable
tosit,hedoesnotresteasy.
ShepherdInA SheepskinVest’s
centralconcernis notdomestic
bliss,butwhatcomesnext;the
needtobea grown-up,toresolve
yourownissuesratherthan
leavingthenextgenerationto
deal with them. it’s also a much
BILL CaLLaHaN
Shepherd Ina Sheepskin Vest
DRaGCITY
Pastureprime:smogliftsovertheBobDylan
of dysfunction.By Jim Wirth
the uncut guiDe to this month’s key releases
“Sky changed the sea/Love changed me”
mclean stephenson