Smog

Though Smog's Bill Callahan has gradually progressed to a higher-fi sound and properly synchronized arrangements, he still tosses off unusual lines that ache with an off-center Midwest beauty. In "Our Anniversary" he sings of "clipping the wings of your morning flight," and the gorgeous "Driving" echoes with an equally spare, lyrical moment: "And the rain washed the price/Off of our windshield." But he has not forsaken his deadpan cleverness either. On "Feather by Feather," he delivers drolly the following line: "When they make the movie of your life/They're going to have to ask you/To do your own stunts."

A solid album on its own merits, the delicate and modest Supper nonetheless serves most markedly as a sign of continuing growth. From its first seconds, Supper exhibits noticeably that his voice is deeper and more confident now, no longer something he feels compelled to disguise in atonal histrionics.