Monday Morning Music Videos

Bill Callahan, like his contemporary Will Oldham, has resurrected, or perhaps even created, a style of intensely personal, starkly delivered music in the vein of Townes Van Zandt that never manages to give way to the bleakness that underscores its creation (which would make them Jandek). Callahan in particular places his quirky baritone at the front of his recordings, allowing the listener no opportunity to avoid his words, which are barely buoyed by light instrumentation. The result is often stunning, but something I never thought would work well visually. Well, I’ve been proven wrong by the video for “Rock Bottom Riser” (mov), a delicate, flowing animated piece that constantly moves upward, without distracting from Callahan’s resonant words.

John Vanderslice’s strange delivery isn’t too far from Callahan’s–it’s a lot less rich and a good deal more nasal, but he still foregrounds it at the front of every mix. Which is a good thing when his lyrics are as great as they are on “Exodus Damage” (mov). Vanderslice has gotten flak in the past for preferring crystal production technique over good songwriting, but he’s created a minor masterpiece with Pixel Revolt, incorporating his hermetic tendencies with a much stronger songcraft. This is far and away my favorite track from this great album, and while director Brett Chesanek seems to have had this 16mm visual treatment in the can, ready to apply to any song, they work well with this one.

Filed under: Bill Callahan  John Vanderslice  music video  Smog