The Doctor Came at Dawn

Last updated
The Doctor Came at Dawn
The Doctor Came At Dawn.jpg
Studio album by
Smog
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1996
Recorded1996
Genre
Length38:52
Label Drag City [3]
Producer Bill Callahan
Smog chronology
Kicking a Couple Around
(1996)		The Doctor Came at Dawn
(1996)		 Red Apple Falls
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Robert Christgau Rating-Christgau-dud.svg [5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5 [8]

The Doctor Came at Dawn is the fifth album by Bill Callahan (under his "Smog" moniker), released in 1996 on Drag City. [9] [10] It was re-released in Europe in 2001 by Domino. Callahan's occasional creative partner, Cynthia Dall, appears on the album. [11]

Contents

Critical reception

Uncut wrote: "A dark collection of songs, admittedly, but arguably it marked the maturing of Callahan as a songwriter." [12] The Cleveland Scene wrote: "Spare and bitter, its songs conjure closed scenes that hum and bleed with intense sensory details." [13] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that Smog's "plaintive tunes and self-parodic misogyny both hit new levels." [7] CMJ New Music Monthly called The Doctor Came at Dawn "the bleakest, saddest album of 1996." [14] NME ranked the album at fortieth in their list "Darkest albums ever: 50 of the best." [15]

Track listing

  1. "You Moved In" – 4:34
  2. "Somewhere in the Night" – 2:10
  3. "Lize" – 5:58
  4. "Spread Your Bloody Wings" – 3:27
  5. "Carmelite Light" – 0:42
  6. "Everything You Touch Becomes a Crutch" – 2:34
  7. "All Your Women Things" – 6:47
  8. "Whistling Teapot (Rag)" – 3:39
  9. "Four Hearts in a Can" – 4:12
  10. "Hangman Blues" – 4:49

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References

  1. ↑ Carew, Anthony. "Top 10 Slowcore Albums". LiveAbout. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ Gómez Martínez, Javier (November 27, 2019). "The 35 Saddest Albums Of All Time". Discogs Blog. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Smog - The Doctor Came At Dawn | Drag City". www.dragcity.com.
  4. ↑ Phares, Heather. "The Doctor Came at Dawn - Smog | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Smog Reviews". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 571.
  7. 1 2 The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 754.
  8. ↑ joshuatree (March 1, 2009). "Smog - The Doctor Came at Dawn (album review)". Sputnikmusic.
  9. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Smog | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 968. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0.
  11. ↑ Leibrock, Rachel (April 18, 2012). "Goodbye, Cynthia Dall". News & Review .
  12. ↑ "Bill Callahan – Album By Album". Uncut . March 8, 2013.
  13. ↑ Scribner, Sara (March 11, 1999). "The Ruminator". Cleveland Scene .
  14. ↑ Wolk, Douglas (February 1997). "Second Thoughts". CMJ . No. 42. CMJ Network, Inc. – via Google Books.
  15. ↑ "Darkest albums ever: 50 of the best". NME . January 19, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
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