Dongs Of Sevotion - Smog (2000)
Bill Callahan has recorded under his own name for most of the 21st century, but here he was still using his one-man-band alias Smog to pump out his gutsy, dark, lo-fi modern rock.
It’s a standout record both musically and lyrically, and one that grabbed me pretty hard when it was new.
Where the loud guitars drop in, you get challenging and sharp rock. When it tilts more acoustic, you get meditative (and sometimes grumpy) Americana or insurgent country.
There’s a ton of Callahan material (18 albums, I count, between Callahan and Smog) and I don’t know most of it, but I’m a big fan of this one.
Tracks I Liked
Justice Aversion - a great lead track that sets the table in attitude and emotional tone, if not musically
Dress Sexy At My Funeral - a great lyric with a Lou Reed cheekiness in the delivery
Easily Led - a minimalist take on bleak country
Distance - choppy and angry but still well-focused
Cold Discovery - fatalistic troubadour music
