Smog is the long-running musical project of
Bill Callahan.
Initial Smog releases were extremely hard work, and consisted mainly of extremely lo-fi and slightly tuneless (and mainly instrumental) noodling, but developed over the first two albums into more recognisable and melodic song structures.
After a couple of low-profile releases for the Drag City label, Smog started to gain notice with the release of the fourth Smog album, "Wild Love", which features the classic "Prince Alone In The Studio", about the pint-sized purple one.
Recent albums have displayed a tendency towards the songwriting style of Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed - combining radio-friendly melodies with a very dark streak of lyrical black humour.
Albums:
Sewn To The Sky (1990) Forgotten Foundation (1993) Julius Caesar (1994) Wild Love (1995) The Doctor Came At Dawn (1996) Red Apple Falls (1997) Knock Knock (1998) Dongs Of Sevotion (2000)