Faith/Void: Bill Callahan at the Parish, Being Great

Recently, during a performance by an anonymous Austin band, someone spotted Bill Callahan in the crowd, walked straight up to him and looked into his face: "Your new album," the audience member said, pausing for emphasis, "is perfect." And so it is in regards to Callahan's second release under his own name, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle, which is so damn good it's receiving dark horse consideration for album of the year.

Writing songs about the songs he wrote while sleeping, and imploring his listener, and maybe himself, to put God away, Eagle is a testament to an adult musical vision: the album is 100% free of excess, and every subtlety seems to be the product of careful consideration, or at least the spontaneous intuition of someone who's been building beautiful songs for more than a decade. If anything, it proves that while the local hero’s Smog material made his reputation as one of music’s most thoughtful pessimists, his evolution the past few years has taken him towards perhaps his strongest and most luminous material yet.

For such an act, it seems there'd be no better place to hear his stripped down tunes, and pay special attention to each and every word, than the cozy haven known as the Parish, where Callahan will ply his craft this Sunday night. As added bonuses, opening up are a suiting counterpoint to Callahan, local southern crunchers Follow That Bird!, and you can fill in those boxes below for a shot at free tickets.

Bill Callahan [Label] [MySpace]
Follow That Bird [MySpace]