Search - Smog :: Strayed Ep

Two very different slices of one pie

Ryan K. Fry | Sherman, TX | 06/03/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The "Strayed" CD single could have been, like its 7" counterpart, just like any other single, with a couple of promising numbers fit and ready for radioplay. Instead, Bill Callahan elected to include something very different in place of the usual B-side. Consequently, the single attains the length of an EP, with "Strayed" from the album Dongs of Sevotion as its lead-off, followed by the Cow EP, originally released on cassette in 1989. While most Smog fans will fondly recognize the subtle humor and folky delivery of the title track, many will likely be scared off by what immediately comes after - seemingly aimless lo-fi noodling skewed beyond recognition. At certain points the songs resemble unsettling soundscapes ("Black Olive"), while other times they sound more like some fledgling guitarist's misbegotten rehearsals thrown into a blender ("On a Scale of Fish to Fish"). Nonetheless, it all sounds a little better than Smog's full-length debut that was soon to follow, which might only be due to the production."