For obvious reasons (which we’re frankly bored of repeating), artists are spending less time on the road. For anyone that keeps a regular check on Bandcamp the bonus side-effect of this has been the chance to create more music. Case in point – Bill Callahan. Callahan released Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest only last year which, according to Folk Radio’s Thomas Blake, “handles the vicissitudes of love and life with inimitable tact and charm as only Callahan can, resulting in a career-high that listeners are sure to return to for sanctum and solace for many years to come.” Callahan should have been touring that album but instead, in the words of Drag City, he managed to find time to “pull out a few sketches from the notebooks and finished them up some. Before he knew it, he was recording them, and in the shuffle, new songs started popping up too.”
Drag City add – It happened fast. Basics were recorded live, with Matt Kinsey playing guitars, guitars, guitars and Jaime Zurverza holding it down (then letting it go) on bass. Drums and horns were brought in for a couple songs. Spirits was high! Six out of the ten tunes were done first take; overdubs, when needed, came equally quickly. Listening, one hears the intuitive cohesion coming together richly, back of Bill‘s titanic voice spread across the stereo spectrum: the gentle-yet-spirited conversation of Bill and Matt‘s guitars, the subtle percussing of bass and drums and oddments of trumpet, woodwind and synth, striking notes decorous and discordant, sounding for all the world like the naturally occurring sound meant to accompany and express lives lived everywhere.
His label are also keen to point out that the songs on Gold Records have a stand-alone feel, the way singles do. As if that wasn’t a strong enough hint, for the intervening 10 weeks until its release September 4th we get to enjoy a single every week – on a Monday. That there is the gold.
Pre-Order Gold Record here: https://ffm.to/goldrecord
Photo Credit: Hanly Banks Callahan