After almost 20 years of using the alias Smog for his music, Bill Callahan switched to his given name for his releases after 2005's A River Ain't Too Much to Love. The 2007 EP Diamond Dancer and full-length Woke On A Whaleheart both mixed the intimate, reflective, largely acoustic sound of later Smog albums like supperclub - addiction - cd1 and Dry As A Bone/Rehab Doll with gospel, soul, and pop elements, and boasted arrangements by former Royal Trux mastermind Neil Michael Hagerty. For 2009's "Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle", callahan returned to the more intimate acoustic-based sound of latter-era Smog albums, featuring string and brass arrangements by Brian Beattie. The live album "Rough Travel for a Rare Thing" arrived in March 2010, and in July callahan issued his 79-page "epistolary novelette" Letters to Emma Bowlcut, comprised of 62 letters from a nameless protagonist to a woman he saw at a party. callahan kicked off 2011 with Apocalypse Dudes, a more uptempo collection of seven country and blues-inspired rock tunes that recalled some of his edgier work with Smog. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi