2019-07-01_Uncut_UK

(singke) #1

J U LY 2 0 19


Ta k e26 6

1 PJHaRVeY(p22)
2 FLYINGLOTUS(p28)
3 PeTeRPeRReTT(p32)
4 BLaCk PeaCHeS(p36)

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18 • UNCUT • JULY 2019


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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

Free download pdf