For an album that talks about how he became 58, this singer-songwriter is 60 as of right now. Not a jab against Bill Callahan. It just goes to show how long he invested to craft this album. This man has been in the game for so long, while working under the band of Smog. He then decides to ride solo in the late 2000s and he has built a reputation of himself as a great in the scene of folk and Americana. Apparently according to an interview with Pitchfork, he started to work on various songs for a long time as far fifteen years even, but Callahan states that his cancer diagnosis was the inception of his writing. So, Callahan confronting his own mortality is of course going to make him contemplate his life as it “inspires” his songwriting. Thankfully, his cancer has subsided and we can only hope he will get better from here. I only came across this album whenever there was buzz happening around, so I checked out to see what the hubbub was about. I think his baritone voice helps with that, but there is some earnest songwriting here. The emotions he displays is a vast spectrum and he doesn’t need a big band to achieve this. His songwriting gets the message across. He goes through feelings of loneliness, mortality, his experiences as a father, the pratfalls from technology, and even making a playful tune about Lake Winnebago. You can even hear him being hilarious on the darker songs too. On the facade, if death doesn’t seem to bother this man, then we feel all right. Right? My Days of 58 is comfort food in a wooden cabin during a heavy snowstorm. For a man that emotes many expressions no matter what path this album goes to, it leads to just warmth and solace, including parts that make me chuckle. And might I add? For an album that is an hour long, it really doesn’t feel like that. Therefore, my very first impressions of my first experience with Callahan is super favorable as he comes across as a comforting human being.
You get an embrace on “Why Do Men Sing” it really got to me when he goes:
“An old friend didn’t show. And now there’s nowhere for this feeling to go.”
Bill Callahan, “Why Do Men Sing”
It seriously gets beautiful at parts and you want to raise your hands in the sings about not bottling your emotions and getting out of your shell. I absolutely love the “let it ride, let it ride” refrain. This is an absolute great introduction to 58. Even when Callahan goes into something serious about his mental and physical health, he’s still resilient and stalwart on “The Man I’m Supposed to Be”. He does something that I won’t spoil here at the last second of the end, but it makes me laugh every time. Not only does he laugh in the face of death, but laughs at himself on “Pathol O.G.” and he exercises his curiosity, his modesty, and his whimsy. Why so serious? “Stepping out for Air sounds heart wrenching on someone who is struggling to see the beauty of living. He knows how to express his melancholy without overstepping the saccharine or being whiny. Listen to the instrumentals when he says he’s stepping out for air. Fun fact, the refrain at the end made me learn what semantic satiation is. I do like songs that romanticize or personalize places such as “Lonely City” and it is a slow jammer. It’s like a setting can be a character itself and it’s also relatable when we see all kinds of cities change before our very eyes. In my opinion, “Empathy” is probably the most personal and heartfelt track, which makes this the top billing of the album for me. He talks about his experiences of fatherhood and the wanting to be the better version of his father. The only thing that matters for him is to his two kids to be the better version of him. Listening to this song in a quiet room is very surreal as it is beautiful and relatable.
I can imagine a saloon playing “West Texas” on how down to earth it can be. Even though it’s chill, there are some lighthearted humorous deliveries here. “Computer” goes into how technology can just hijack your mind and self-preservation. “Lake Winnebago” and “Highway Born” are seriously great road trip tunes with the window down. The former sounding so adorable and sweet and the latter being uplifting of your spirits. He touches on romance with “And Dream Land” as the instrumental and this chugging sound effect sounds like someone is feeling anxious or is it excitement? I can understand the closer “The World Is Still” being considered bleak. However, it is realistic as one should live out their life as the world does not stop for me or you.
Even on the songs I’m lukewarm about, I still find it enjoyable just to sit there and listen to the intriguing songwriting. I do wish he did more on “Computer” as I have heard many songs that criticize technology and this motif has been done before and I wish the ending went out with a bang, but I can see why Callahan would stay with his creative decision.
The sound is not grandiose, but of course that’s intentional as it doesn’t have to be a big sound to show how small someone might feel. It’s one of the most personal albums I’ve heard this year and relatable (sans fatherhood). The songwriting is superb and the instrumentals can evoke so many emotions. I can definitely understand why a lot of people follow him. I wish the man and his family the best. For someone who is not familiar with Americana or indie folk, this did have an impact on me. I hope to look back to my experiences and learn whenever I turn 58. But the way I describe this album is like one big giant bear hug. I would like to think a whimsical character like Bill would like that comparison.
FAVORITE TRACKS: WHY DO MEN SING, THE MAN I’M SUPPOSED TO BE, PATHOL O.G., STEPPING OUT FOR AIR, EMPATHY, LAKE WINNEBAGO, HIGHWAY BORN
LEAST FAVORITE: COMPUTER
You can purchase this album on Bandcamp and his discography is also available for streaming. Links down below.
[Bandcamp]﹡[Apple Music]﹡[TIDAL]
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