The Essential albums of 2009 are starting to appear, and one of the first (together with the Mulatu & Heliocentrics) that get the undomondo seal is American singer-songwriter Bill Callahan’s sophomore on Drag City. And it’s coming from a blog that is highly skeptical of the thriving indie/hipster scene which produces hundreds of unoriginal bands everyday both in the US and the UK.

Callahan’s gloomy voice registers as a non-guttural Mark Lanegan, matching the pristine sound of the album and the unpretentious structures of the songs. One thinks it must be extremely hard to convey this much emotion and grace with so little happening on the surface, yet he seems to achieve it easily with his heart-rending songs. It’s turned, me, not even barely a melancholic person, into someone who wonders if listening to one more song might make me fall prey to unforeseen depression.

“Sometimes I wish we were an Eagle” contains a stunning voice and epic songwriting, from a wise singer with a story to tell. Essential.

I think it’s safe to proclaim that Bill Callahan has officially attained Wallabee status. Like a pair of Clarks, Chuck Taylors, or Vans, Señor Smog has become a symbol of effortless style and reliability, crafting something so timeless in its aesthetic appeal that it’s quickly approaching “classic” status. Other Music