I had no intention of posting this record until I stepped outside this morning into a cold, snowy street to take the train to work and put it on. It seemed very appropriate as the wet, dreary winter days we've been experiencing here in Chicago are the perfect backdrop to records like (Smog)'s Red Apple Falls. On his sixth album under the (Smog) moniker, Bill Callahan expands slightly on his interesting lo-fi, acoustic recordings by bringing producer Jim O'Rourke into the fold. Though O'Rourke engineered previous efforts, his airy flourishes often fill out otherwise sparse, dark tracks. This comes through even more on the few up tempo songs like "I Was a Stranger," "Ex-Con" and "Inspiration." That isn't to say those songs are even terribly upbeat though with lyrics like "Alone in my room I feel such a warmth for the community, but out on the streets I feel like a robot by the river looking for a drink" all sung in Callahan's trademark deep, relatively monotone voice. Red Apple Falls is a great album full of some real bum out tracks, perfect to listen to on headphones indoors when the weather gets too unbearable.
(Smog) - Red Apple Falls
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