Between the well-earned domestic bliss of Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest and the laconic storytelling of Gold Record, things seemed peaceful in Bill Callahan's musical world in the late 2010s and early 2020s -- then along came YTILAER. Inspired by the world's emergence from the COVID-19 global pandemic bubble, Callahan translates the tensions and hopes of that time into stories and sketches that bring the bite back to his music. As usual, his approach isn't particularly literal; "Partition," where he intones "Microdose/Change your clothes/Do what you got to do" over flinty acoustic guitar and prodding bass clarinet, is one of the few times he comes close to directly addressing the issues of the day. Instead, he skillfully steeps YTILAER's songs in the feeling that chaos and danger are always lying in wait. "First Bird" may start the album with glowing gratitude worthy of Shepherd, but the album's nature imagery soon grows darker and more complex. "Coyotes," which links the family dog to the pack of coyotes lingering in the yard as Callahan appreciates how lasting love is made moment by moment, highlights how precious and precarious happiness is. He brilliantly updates the folk classic "Bowevil," evoking how paranoia can spread just as quickly as any other contagion in its lunging riffs and eddying synths. The way he stretches the song so tight it seems like it could snap at any instant recalls "Bloodflow" from Smog's Dongs of Sevotion, and it's a thrill to hear him reclaim the steeliness underlying some of the finest songs he made with that project and under his own name. "Drainface" proves he hasn't lost his eloquence when it comes to expressing humanity's dark side as it moves from bleak balladry filled with rich imagery ("eyes like retired hotel bedspreads" is a particular gem) to a surreally terrifying coda. The contrast between it and the song that follows, the jaunty, countrypolitan-tinged reflections of "Natural Information," reveals just how brilliant YTILAER's arrangements are. Callahan knows exactly when these songs should barely rise above a whisper, as on "Lily " -- a remarkably intimate meditation on dying and something close to closure -- and when they should play at full blast, as on the character study "Naked Souls," where slow-building anger culminates in an explosion of brass, synth, and guitar. Along with delivering the abundance of colors, moods, and first-rate songwriting expected from a Bill Callahan album, YTILAER is more exciting and engaging than his music has been in some time. This is how an expert singer/songwriter captures the tenor of the moment: with songs of timeless quality. ~ Heather Phares
