Violet Crown Review

Spin This: April 19

April 19, 2011 6:16 am by: Art Levy

On this week's Spin This, longtime Austinite Bill Callahan releases a raw, off-the-cuff record, and tUnE-yArDs impresses with a confident and experimental sophomore album. Bill Callahan—Apocalypse: In 2007, Bill Callahan dropped his “Smog” moniker that he used for a decade and a half. It didn’t unveil the dour singer-songwriter, as many suggested, because with his third album under his given name, he’s still as wily as ever. Throughout his career, Callahan has eschewed standard verse-chorus structures, instead delivering a more free-form type of song in his trademark baritone. 2009’s Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle was a strong, orchestral effort that moved away from his lo-fi roots, and Apocalypse is another new direction. Recorded live in a studio with an ace backing band, the record is full of spontaneity and intensity, two qualities that can be lacking from Callahan’s dark discography. Despite entering his third decade as an artist, the longtime Austinite still...
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