Knock Knock (Smog album)

Knock Knock is the seventh studio album by Bill Callahan, released under his Smog alias. It was originally released through Drag City in January 1999. In Europe, it was released through Domino Recording Company.

Knock Knock
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 12, 1999 (1999-01-12)
Genre
Length42:47
LabelDrag City
ProducerJim O'Rourke
Smog chronology
Red Apple Falls
(1997)
Knock Knock
(1999)
The Manta Rays of Time
(2000)
Singles from Knock Knock
  1. "Held"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Cold Blooded Old Times"
    Released: 1999

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Entertainment WeeklyB [2]
The Independent     [3]
Mojo     [4]
NME8/10[5]
Pitchfork9.7/10 (1999)[6]
8.7/10 (2020)[7]
Rolling Stone     [8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [9]
Select4/5[10]

Heather Phares of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "Bill Callahan's subtlest collection of songs yet."[1] She added, "It's a moving album on many levels; not only do the songs have Smog's usual emotional intimacy, their subjects move away from difficult, claustrophobic situations toward maturity and acceptance."[1]

Michele Romero of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a grade of B , saying, "The energy jolt serves him well, making the delicate broken spirit of his lyrics cathartic rather than depressing."[2]

NME listed it as the 10th best album of 1999.[11] Steve Jelbert of The Independent named it the best pop album of 1999.[12]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Bill Callahan

No.TitleLength
1."Let's Move to the Country"3:05
2."Held"4:02
3."River Guard"6:22
4."No Dancing"3:00
5."Teenage Spaceship"3:58
6."Cold Blooded Old Times"4:14
7."Sweet Treat"2:59
8."Hit the Ground Running"6:56
9."I Could Drive Forever"5:15
10."Left Only with Love"2:52
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Look Now"3:24
12."The Only Mother"3:29

References

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  1. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Knock Knock – Smog". AllMusic. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Romero, Michele (February 5, 1999). "Knock Knock". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Perry, Tim (January 30, 1999). "Pop: album reviews". The Independent. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Mulvey, John (December 2022). "Bill's, Bill's, Bill's". Mojo. p. 37.
  5. ^ Oldham, James (February 4, 1999). "Smog – Knock Knock". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  6. ^ "Smog: Knock Knock: Pitchfork Review". Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  7. ^ Sherburne, Philip (August 2, 2020). "Smog: Knock Knock". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Sheffield, Rob (February 4, 1999). "Smog: Knock Knock". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  9. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Smog". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 754–55. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ^ Male, Andrew (March 1999). "Smog: Knock Knock". Select. No. 105. pp. 81–82.
  11. ^ "Albums And Tracks Of The Year: 1999". NME. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "The best pop albums of 1999". The Independent. December 17, 1999. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
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