2019-07-01_Uncut_UK

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

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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