Gold Record (album)

Gold Record is a studio album by American musician Bill Callahan, released on September 4, 2020 by independent record label Drag City.[10] It is the seventh studio album released under his own name, and eighteenth overall when including studio albums released as Smog.[11]

Gold Record
Studio album by
Bill Callahan
ReleasedSeptember 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)
Length40:17
LabelDrag City
Bill Callahan chronology
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
(2019)		 Gold Record
(2020)
Singles from Gold Record
  1. "Pigeons"
    Released: June 29, 2020[1]
  2. "Another Song"
    Released: July 6, 2020[2]
  3. "35"
    Released: July 13, 2020[3]
  4. "Protest Song"
    Released: July 20, 2020[4]
  5. "The Mackenzies"
    Released: July 27, 2020[5]
  6. "Let's Move to the Country"
    Released: August 3, 2020[6]
  7. "Breakfast"
    Released: August 10, 2020[7]
  8. "Cowboy"
    Released: August 17, 2020[8]
  9. "Ry Cooder"
    Released: August 24, 2020[9]

Background

Gold Record was first announced on June 25, 2020. It was also announced that beginning on June 29, 2020, a new single would be released every week until the September 4, 2020 release date.[12] Each weekly release was accompanied by a sketch drawn by Callahan. The sketches, which differed every week, were completed during preparations for a Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest tour.[13]

The album, which is named after the RIAA Gold certification, consists mainly of some of Callahan's old and unfinished songs.[14] The album includes a revisitation of "Let’s Move to the Country", the opening song from Callahan's 1999 studio album Knock Knock.[15]

Gold Record, which was recorded in one week,[14] features accompaniment by guitarist Matt Kinsey, bassist Jamie Zurverza, and drummer Adam Jones.[12][16]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[17]
Metacritic86/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Exclaim!8/10[11]
The Guardian[10]
Loud and Quiet6/10[20]
Mojo[21]
NME[22]
Pitchfork8.0/10[23]
PopMatters[24]
Record Collector[25]
Uncut8/10[26]

Gold Record received positive reviews from critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on fifteen reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Kitty Empire of The Guardian praised the album and highlighted it as her album of the week. Empire noted that the writing in Gold Record is more oriented on others, as compared to Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest, which she described as personal and introspective. She writes, "Continuing one of music’s great about-turns, the undersung one-time misanthrope releases an album abundant in warmth and empathy."[10] Mike Goldsmith of Record Collector similarly praised Callahan for his shifting attitudes. Goldsmith also expressed, "While the album is intended as 10 individual slices of life, collective themes quickly emerge and turn it into more than the sum of its parts."[25]

In a mixed review, Justin Vellucci of PopMatters suggested that the album has a sparse and very dry recording tone. According to Vellucci, one of the biggest shortcomings of Gold Record is that it "makes the distance between Callahan's hangdog narration and the music that accompanies it all the more obvious and all the more a chasm."[24] In a more positive review for AllMusic, Heather Phares claimed that "Gold Record is especially satisfying for longtime fans as part of a bounty of great work from Callahan since his return, but there's plenty here to delight anyone who loves brilliant songwriting and down-to-earth performances."[19]

Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Mojo The 75 Best Albums of 2020
4
[27]
Uncut The Top 75 Albums of the Year
7
[28]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Callahan.

No.TitleLength
1."Pigeons"5:25
2."Another Song"3:15
3."35"4:03
4."Protest Song"3:58
5."The Mackenzies"5:03
6."Let's Move to the Country"3:19
7."Breakfast"2:48
8."Cowboy"4:35
9."Ry Cooder"3:51
10."As I Wander"3:56
Total length:40:17

Charts
Chart performance for Gold Record
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 74
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 94

References
  1. Yoo, Noah (June 29, 2020). "Bill Callahan Shares New Song "Pigeons": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  2. Minsker, Evan (July 6, 2020). "Bill Callahan Shares "Another Song": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  3. Kenneally, Cerys (July 13, 2020). "Bill Callahan previews new album with third single "35"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  4. Rettig, James (July 20, 2020). "Bill Callahan – "Protest Song"". Stereogum. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  5. Small, Samantha (July 27, 2020). "It's Monday Again; So Here's Another Bill Callahan Track, "The Mackenzies"". Under the Radar. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  6. Eede, Christian (August 3, 2020). "Bill Callahan Covers Himself On 'Let's Move To The Country'". The Quietus. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  7. Breihan, Tom (August 10, 2020). "Bill Callahan – "Breakfast"". Stereogum. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  8. Small, Samantha (August 17, 2020). "Bill Callahan Shares New Song "Cowboy"". Under the Radar. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  9. Breihan, Tom (August 24, 2020). "Bill Callahan – "Ry Cooder"". Stereogum. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  10. Empire, Kitty (August 29, 2020). "Bill Callahan: Gold Record review – time to join the pantheon of great American singer-songwriters". The Guardian. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  11. Bobkin, Matt (September 2, 2020). "Bill Callahan Carves Out His Place Among the All-Time Greats on 'Gold Record'". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  12. Sodomsky, Sam. "Bill Callahan Announces New Album Gold Record". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  13. Small, Samantha (August 17, 2020). "Bill Callahan Shares New Song "Cowboy"". Under the Radar. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  14. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (August 26, 2020). "Bill Callahan — the 'miserabilist' steps into the light". Financial Times. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  15. Barton, Laura. "Bill Callahan: 'Having a kid changed my whole perspective'". The Independent. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  16. Rascoe, Rachel (September 18, 2020). "Bill Callahan Finds an Elder Perspective on New Album". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  17. "Gold Record by Bill Callahan reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  18. "Gold Record by Bill Callahan". Metacritic. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  19. Phares, Heather (September 4, 2020). "Gold Record - Bill Callahan | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  20. Cashin, Cal (August 31, 2020). "Bill Callahan - Gold Record - Album Review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  21. Mulvey, John. "Bill Callahan - Gold Record". Mojo. No. 323 (October 2020 ed.). p. 85.
  22. Clarke, Patrick (September 3, 2020). "Bill Callahan – 'Gold Record' album review". NME. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  23. Powell, Mike. "Bill Callahan: Gold Record". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  24. Vellucci, Justin (September 1, 2020). "Bill Callahan's 'Gold Record' Offers Snapshots of Moments in Time". PopMatters. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  25. Goldsmith, Mike. "Gold Record - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  26. McKay, Alastair. "Bill Callahan Gold Record". Uncut. No. October 2020. p. 28.
  27. "The 75 Best Albums Of 2020". Mojo. No. 326. January 2021. p. 54.
  28. "The Top 75 Albums Of The Year". Uncut. No. 284. January 2021. p. 79.
  29. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  30. "Swisscharts.com – Bill Callahan – Gold Record". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  31. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
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