Bill Callahan - "Coyotes"

After announcing a new album called YTI⅃AƎЯ, Bill Callahan has shared the first single, the elegant "Coyotes."

"Yes, I am your loverman" confirms Bill Callahan in the first lyric of his latest excellent song "Coyotes." It's a simple affirmation, direct and honest, much like the many songs he's released previously. That's not to say this one isn't special, it's rather to say that once again Bill has returned and seems to once again prove that he's one of the country's best singer/songwriters and has been for nearly three decades. There is lush instrumentation here, filling the classic Callahan vibes. Sturdy acoustic guitar, twinkling piano, stirring steel guitar, and jazzy drum fills all connect for a brilliant six and a half minute piece of music. The opening acoustic riff gives a slight nod to the tune of Neil Young's epic "Don't Be Denied," in harmony, before everything else gels together to reveal something wholesome and beautiful. This is an impeccably arranged track, nothing new for Callahan, but to hear it come so late in his career after he's turned out brilliant after brilliant records just goes to show just how talented he is both as a crafter of melody, but as a lyrical genius as well. "They say don't wake someone who is dreaming / maybe that is how we die" he tell us, once more offering bonafide genius-level writing skills. It's a lyric that will sit with you for a long time as the song gracefully moves forward, his empowering narrative still running its course. There are many lines that are striking and ones that will grab hold of your thoughts forcing you to go back for repeated listens, as each reveals more and more with each breathtaking replay. We're lucky to be living in a time when Callahan is releasing such exquisite work and "Coyotes" once again confirms his place in the canon of musical greatness.

YTI⅃AƎЯ is out October 14 digitally and February 24 physically via Drag City.