Dream River

Last updated
Dream River
Dreamriver.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2013 (2013-09-17)
RecordedJanuary 2013
StudioCacophony, Texas
Genre Indie folk
Length40:09
Label Drag City
Producer Erik Wofford
Bill Callahan chronology
Apocalypse
(2011)
Dream River
(2013)
Have Fun with God
(2014)

Dream River is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bill Callahan, released on September 17, 2013 on Drag City. Recorded by Erik Wofford, the album is Callahan's fourth to be released under his own name.

Contents

Released to critical acclaim, the album reached number forty-four on the UK Albums Chart.

Background and recording

Bill Callahan began writing songs for Dream River in August 2012, with the idea of it becoming an album to listen to late at night. Callahan noted, "[Dream River is] the last record you could listen to at the end of the day, before you go to bed, around midnight. [I wanted it to be] smooth and relaxing, the perfect end to a person's day." [1]

Describing his usual recording method as an all-encompassing experience, Callahan notes that the process differed for Dream River: "You sort of dread [recording an album], knowing you have to go into the abyss, because it gets more and more intense, and as the boulder gets bigger and bigger and heavier and heavier, the harder it is to let go. I wanted to see if I could have more of a life, to do other things while I'm making a record. I pretty much did." [1]

Writing and composition

Regarding the album's lyrical content, and the personal nature of Dream River's songs, Callahan noted, "I feel like there's already a written narrative going on everywhere. All the different situations and realities you're in, like words floating by. It's something that I didn't start thinking about until recently, but you can hitch that ride, that narrative that's already been created. You just have to read it and write it down." [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10 [2]
Metacritic 84/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The A.V. Club A− [5]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
NME 8/10 [8]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 8.5/10 [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Spin 8/10 [13]

Dream River received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 84, based on 33 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [3] Pitchfork gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, with staff writer Lindsay Zoladz stating: "At its core, this is a record about accepting and even embracing the smallness of human life, and how difficult that can be, given our damnably innate sense of adventure, ambition, and restlessness. [...] For once he’s not wishing he were an eagle or a tempest or a sunset. He is just Bill Callahan, flying his small plane with a co-pilot by his side, and for the moment at least, that is enough." [10] The A.V. Club's Jason Heller wrote: "As a portrayal of Bill Callahan by Bill Callahan, Dream River doesn't chew an inch of scenery; instead it dwells in knowing glances and haunted whispers." [5] In a mostly positive review, AllMusic's Thom Jurek wrote: "With Dream River, fans already know what to expect from the man lyrically, and it can't be argued with qualitatively. When you place those lyrics in the context of something so subtly adventurous musically, the result is both engaging and seductive." [4] Mojo magazine called Dream River Callahan's "most beguiling album yet" in a five-star review and later rated it the best album of the year for 2013. [7] [14]

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeYearRank
Mojo Top 50 Albums of 20132013
1 [14]
NME 50 Best Albums of 20132013
35 [15]
Pitchfork The Top 50 Albums of 20132013
16 [16]
Uncut The Best Albums of 20132013
7 [17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Callahan

No.TitleLength
1."The Sing"4:32
2."Javelin Unlanding"3:48
3."Small Plane"3:57
4."Spring"5:10
5."Ride My Arrow"5:03
6."Summer Painter"6:30
7."Seagull"5:39
8."Winter Road"5:30
Total length:40:09

Personnel

Musicians

Additional musicians

Recording personnel

Artwork

Charts

Chart (2013)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [18] 69
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] 99
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [21] 38
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [22] 63
French Albums (SNEP) [23] 192
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24] 61
Irish Albums (IRMA) [25] 22
Scottish Albums (OCC) [26] 42
UK Albums (OCC) [27] 44
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [28] 12
US Billboard 200 [29] 94
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [30] 9
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [31] 16

Related Research Articles

<i>Dummy</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Portishead

Dummy is the debut studio album by English electronic music band Portishead, released on 22 August 1994 by Go! Beat Records.

<i>4:13 Dream</i> 2008 studio album by the Cure

4:13 Dream is the thirteenth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 27 October 2008 by Suretone and Geffen Records. The album was preceded by four singles, all of which were released on 13th of each month, starting in May with "The Only One" and ending in August with "The Perfect Boy".The band also released a remix EP in September, also on the 13th, titled Hypnagogic States (2008).

<i>Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle</i> 2009 studio album by Bill Callahan

Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is the second solo album by American musician Bill Callahan under his own name, released on April 14, 2009, via Drag City.

<i>End Times</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Eels

End Times is the eighth studio album by American rock band Eels released on January 19, 2010. End Times is the second in a trilogy of concept albums starting with 2009's Hombre Lobo and finishing with Tomorrow Morning, released later in 2010.

<i>Grinderman 2</i> 2010 studio album by Grinderman

Grinderman 2 is the second and final studio album by alternative rock band Grinderman, a side project of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 13 September 2010 on Mute Records in the United Kingdom and ANTI- in the United States.

<i>Apocalypse</i> (Bill Callahan album) 2011 studio album by Bill Callahan

Apocalypse is a studio album by Bill Callahan, released on April 5, 2011. It is the third studio album released under his own name, and fourteenth overall when including LPs released as Smog.

<i>Bloom</i> (Beach House album) 2012 studio album by Beach House

Bloom is the fourth studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was co-produced by the band and Chris Coady, and was released on May 15, 2012, by Sub Pop, in Europe by Bella Union, in Australia by Mistletone Records, and in Mexico by Arts & Crafts. The album was written over two years of touring and was recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, over seven weeks. Building on their previous album, Teen Dream (2010), the duo continued to add live drums to their song arrangements for Bloom, supplementing their drum machine rhythms.

<i>Banga</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Patti Smith

Banga is the eleventh studio album by American rock musician Patti Smith, released on June 1, 2012 on Columbia Records. Recorded throughout 2011 at New York's Electric Lady Studios and Hoboken's Hobo Recorders, Banga was produced by Smith, Tony Shanahan, Jay Dee Daugherty and collaborator Lenny Kaye. The album includes a number of guest musicians including Tom Verlaine of Television, Italian band Casa del Vento, Jack Petruzzelli and Smith's own children, Jackson and Jesse Paris.

<i>Comedown Machine</i> 2013 studio album by the Strokes

Comedown Machine is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Strokes. It was released on March 26, 2013, through RCA Records. The band decided to pull a media blackout for the album, with no promotion in the form of television appearances, interviews, photoshoots, live shows, or tours. The cover artwork was designed to resemble an old RCA tape reel box.

<i>Silence Yourself</i> 2013 studio album by Savages

Silence Yourself is the debut studio album by the English post-punk band Savages, released on 6 May 2013 on Matador Records and Pop Noire, a label owned by vocalist Jehnny Beth. It was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize.

<i>Reflektor</i> 2013 studio album by Arcade Fire

Reflektor is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on October 28, 2013, through Sonovox Records internationally and Merge Records in the United States. A double album, it was recorded between 2011 and 2013 at studios in Montreal, Jamaica, and Louisiana. It was co-produced by LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, regular Arcade Fire producer Markus Dravs, and the band themselves.

<i>St. Vincent</i> (album) 2014 studio album by St. Vincent

St. Vincent is the fourth studio album by American musician St. Vincent. It was released on February 24, 2014, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States, through Loma Vista Recordings and Republic Records. Produced by John Congleton, it features collaborations with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss and Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith. The tracks were arranged and demoed by Annie Clark in Austin, Texas and recorded at the Elmwood studio in Dallas.

<i>Burn Your Fire for No Witness</i> 2014 studio album by Angel Olsen

Burn Your Fire for No Witness is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen. It was released in February 2014 under Jagjaguwar Records. "Forgiven/Forgotten", "Hi-Five" and "Windows" were released as singles. A deluxe edition was released on November 18, 2014, with five additional tracks.

<i>American Dream</i> (LCD Soundsystem album) 2017 studio album by LCD Soundsystem

American Dream is the fourth studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem, released on September 1, 2017, by DFA and Columbia. It was announced on January 5, 2016, the day after it was revealed that the band was reuniting after a disbandment lasting nearly five years. It is the band's first album in seven years, following This Is Happening (2010). This album reached number 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart and was LCD Soundsystem's first record to top the US Billboard 200.

<i>Sleep Well Beast</i> 2017 studio album by The National

Sleep Well Beast is the seventh studio album by the American indie rock band The National, released on September 8, 2017, by 4AD. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2018.

<i>Marauder</i> (Interpol album) 2018 studio album by Interpol

Marauder is the sixth studio album by American rock band Interpol. It was released on August 24, 2018, by Matador Records. The album was produced by Dave Fridmann and recorded at his studio, Tarbox Road, in Cassadaga, New York from December 6, 2017 through April 18, 2018.

<i>Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest</i> 2019 studio album by Bill Callahan

Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is a studio album by American musician Bill Callahan, released on June 14, 2019, by Drag City. It is the sixth studio album released under his own name, and seventeenth overall when including LPs released as Smog.

<i>Gigaton</i> 2020 studio album by Pearl Jam

Gigaton is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released March 27, 2020. It was preceded by the singles "Dance of the Clairvoyants", "Superblood Wolfmoon" and "Quick Escape". It is the band's first studio album in six and half years, and their first album since 2006's eponymous album to feature more collaboration for the lyrics, rather than them being written solely by the frontman Eddie Vedder. The cover artwork was produced by photographer Paul Nicklen. Its release was scheduled to coincide with a tour of North America. However, the North American leg was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually rescheduled for 2022.

<i>Women in Music Pt. III</i> 2020 studio album by Haim

Women in Music Pt. III is the third studio album by American rock band Haim. It was released on June 26, 2020, in the United States by Columbia Records and internationally by Polydor Records. The album was originally set for release on April 24, 2020 but was delayed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and "the changing nature of travel policies and quarantines across the world." The release was later moved to June 26. It was produced by Danielle Haim, Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid, and was preceded by the singles "Summer Girl", "Now I'm in It" and "Hallelujah". The song "The Steps" was released alongside the album pre-order.

<i>The Ascension</i> (Sufjan Stevens album) 2020 studio album by Sufjan Stevens

The Ascension is the eighth studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on September 25, 2020. The record was influenced by a range of artists, particularly Ariana Grande and her 2018 song "Thank U, Next".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bevan, David (September 17, 2013). "Bill Callahan Rolls on Like a River". Spin . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  2. "Dream River by Bill Callahan reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Reviews for Dream River by Bill Callahan". Metacritic . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Dream River – Bill Callahan". AllMusic . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Heller, Jason (September 17, 2013). "Bill Callahan: Dream River". The A.V. Club . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  6. Richman, Simmy (September 15, 2013). "Album review: Bill Callahan, Dream River (Drag City)". The Independent . Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Bill Callahan: Dream River". Mojo . No. 239. October 2013. p. 89.
  8. Pattison, Louis (September 12, 2013). "Bill Callahan – 'Dream River'". NME . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  9. Empire, Kitty (September 15, 2013). "Bill Callahan: Dream River – review". The Observer . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Zoladz, Lindsay (September 17, 2013). "Bill Callahan: Dream River". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  11. "Bill Callahan: Dream River". Q . No. 328. November 2013. p. 102.
  12. Powell, Mike (September 17, 2013). "Dream River". Rolling Stone . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  13. Menconi, David (September 18, 2013). "Bill Callahan Is a Fount of Gorgeously Economical Gravitas on 'Dream River'". Spin . Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  14. 1 2 "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2013". Mojo . December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  15. "NME's 50 Best Albums of 2013". NME . November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  16. "The Top 50 Albums of 2013". Pitchfork . December 18, 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  17. "The Best Albums Of 2013 – The Uncut Top 80". Uncut . December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Bill Callahan – Dream River" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Bill Callahan – Dream River" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Bill Callahan – Dream River" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  21. "Danishcharts.dk – Bill Callahan – Dream River". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bill Callahan – Dream River" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  23. "Lescharts.com – Bill Callahan – Dream River". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bill Callahan – Dream River" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  25. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Bill Callahan". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  28. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  29. "Bill Callahan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  30. "Bill Callahan Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  31. "Bill Callahan Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2020.