Humour and subtly shattering insights into a new life as a parent add profundity to Callahan’s expansive album.
As you listen to this album, you enter a world of beauty and joy, of sorrows and resignation, and finally, in the end, you may even feel wiser for the experience.
Full of love and appreciation for life, which makes more sense to him now than it maybe ever did, Callahan inimitably presents us with philosophical jokes and thoughtful observations on a record that is an adventurous stocktaking of his own life.
The 20-track Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest is without doubt the most revealing record of Callahan’s uniquely uptight career.
Musically, Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest stays at a mild canter throughout, as Callahan takes circuitous and fantastical approaches to express his observations on life.
A peerless storyteller gazes deep into domestic life and offers a long, sun-warmed double album that is a highlight of his career.
Callahan’s ambition and essence haven’t been diminished by him being in a good headspace. He’s a man born to tell stories, and he’s no less of a storyteller than he was in his early 30s.
A rather touching insight into a musician usually too opaque for true empathy, a shift in stance as welcome as it is unexpected.
Songs reflect on his outsider past (The Ballad Of The Hulk, Young Icarus), deal directly with the writer’s block he feared happiness would bring (Writing) but now boast a welcome immediacy and intimacy as he lays his new life proudly bare ... It sure took a while, but the Smog has finally lifted.
Add two more pages to the bestiary: 1) a mostly domesticated beast; 2) the strangest, rarest creature in the Callahan biome: the happily married Shepherd.
Callahan’s gnomic half-smile and his ability to pull the rug out under certainties remain.
The seismic changes that have taken place in Bill Callahan's life over the last six years have beautifully informed his 20 song-strong return.
Give it enough time to cohere ... and this largely successful attempt at rebooting Callahan's songwriting soon acquires a hypnotic pull.
'Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest' is a rich and complex album, layered with beautiful explorations of birth, life and death.
Unassuming yet frequently profound, Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is a gorgeous and much-needed return from an artist whose powers have only grown during the time he spent living his life.
At over an hour long, this isn’t an album to dip in and out of – it’s that rare album that you have to commit to, and let it wash over you.
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is a wonderfully charming singer-songwriter project held back by a somewhat bloated tracklist.
This is music to float in. It falls through the cracks between folk, country, jazz and even experimental; chugging and moseying along at its own deliberate pace.
While so much of Callahan’s past songwriting has felt like poetic exercise, this time autobiography shines through.
Could this be Bill Callahan's 'let it all out' answer to Kozelek's 'Benji'? There's something a little more off the cuff, free flowing and confessional about this one so there's an unmistakable similarity there.
What's most impressive is that despite the gap between releases, and despite the album clocking up twenty (count 'em) songs, this might just be the man's most cohesive and repeat plays rewarding album yet.
Callahan classics: The Ballad of the Hulk, What Comes After Certainty, Son of ... read more
It took 3 months of coming back to this for me to score it, because I knew I wasn't appreciating it the way it deserved. You gotta work for this album, you gotta listen and pay attention. This isn't easy music. Perhaps the songs in the key of domestic life just appeal to me in my 'old' age, but there are some life lessons to be found on here.
20 songs, all overflowing with imagery, emotions, sounds and ideas. Truthfully there isn't a bad song on here, and there are more stunning moments than ... read more
The year 2019 is also marked by the return of Bill Callahan. And FINALLY, I want to say! The musician had left us with a sublime record named "Dream River" followed by a "Have Fun With God" which is its dub version a few months later and then he has vanished. But don't worry, He's back among us with his seventeenth album named "Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest". During this time, Bill Callahan has matured a lot on all points. Now married and happy dad, he decides to ... read more
Bill Callahan music has always has a wistful, comforting quality to it, and this might be his most quintessential late period work, for how much it embodies these qualities. This is the kind of album you play for your kids to school them on good music, while also imparting life lessons and chilling in the summertime.
Some really good rhythm, some really good lyrics … great album! My favorite track is Lonesome Valley.
1 | Shepherd's Welcome 2:22 | 71 |
2 | Black Dog on the Beach 2:30 | 71 |
3 | Angela 2:47 | 66 |
4 | The Ballad of the Hulk 4:04 | 76 |
5 | Writing 3:06 | 78 |
6 | Morning is My Godmother 2:10 | 78 |
7 | 747 3:26 | 73 |
8 | Watch Me Get Married 3:10 | 68 |
9 | Young Icarus 2:48 | 64 |
10 | Released 2:22 | 78 |
11 | What Comes After Certainty 3:42 | 79 |
12 | Confederate Jasmine 3:40 | 64 |
13 | Call Me Anything 2:26 | 64 |
14 | Son of the Sea 4:13 | 69 |
15 | Camels 2:59 | 65 |
16 | Circles 2:28 | 63 |
17 | When We Let Go 2:17 | 63 |
18 | Lonesome Valley 4:16 | 62 |
19 | Tugboats and Tumbleweeds 4:12 | 60 |
20 | The Beast 4:37 | 60 |
#1 | / | Gothamist |
#2 | / | MOJO |
#3 | / | Drift |
#3 | / | Norman Records |
#3 | / | The Washington Post: Chris Richards |
#8 | / | The Observer: Kitty Empire |
#8 | / | Uncut |
#9 | / | Fopp |
#9 | / | Spectrum Culture |
#11 | / | musicOMH |