Knock Knock (Smog album)

1999 studio album by Smog

Knock Knock

Studio album by

Smog

Released| January 12, 1999 (1999-01-12)
Genre|

* Folk rock
* lo-fi

Length| 42:47
Label| Drag City
Producer| Jim 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

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.

## Release

[edit]

"Held" was the first single from Knock Knock. The original Drag City-release featured the second single "Cold Blooded Old Times" as a b-side.

"Held" is sometimes covered during concerts by American indie rock band Spoon,[1] and their cover appears on their 2022 album Lucifer on the Sofa.[2] The song also appeared in the 60- and 30-second versions of a commercial advertising the 2008 Cadillac Escalade.[3]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [4]
Entertainment Weekly| B+[5]
The Independent| [6]
Mojo| [7]
NME| 8/10[8]
Pitchfork| 9.7/10 (1999)[9]
8.7/10 (2020)[10]
Rolling Stone| [11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [12]
Select| 4/5[13]
Uncut| [14]

Heather Phares of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "Bill Callahan's subtlest collection of songs yet."[4] 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."[4]

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."[5]

NME listed it as the 10th best album of 1999.[15] Steve Jelbert of The Independent named it the best pop album of 1999.[16]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Bill Callahan.

No.| Title| Length

|
|

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 tracksNo.| Title| Length

|
|

11.| "Look Now"| 3:24
12.| "The Only Mother"| 3:29

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Spoon Covers Smog". Stereogum. June 21, 2005. Archived from the original on June 24, 2005. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
2. ^ Bloom, Madison (November 8, 2021). "How Spoon Beat the Devil". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
3. ^ "Bob Dylan Hawks Caddies Archived March 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine", stereogum.com (2007-10-22, retrieved on January 8, 2008)
4. ^ a b c Phares, Heather. "Knock Knock – Smog". AllMusic. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
5. ^ a b Romero, Michele (February 5, 1999). "Knock Knock". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
6. ^ Perry, Tim (January 30, 1999). "Pop: album reviews". The Independent. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
7. ^ Mulvey, John (December 2022). "Bill's, Bill's, Bill's". Mojo. No. 349\. p. 37.
8. ^ Oldham, James (February 4, 1999). "Smog – Knock Knock". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
9. ^ Khan, Samir (January 1999). "Smog: Knock Knock". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 4, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
10. ^ Sherburne, Philip (August 2, 2020). "Smog: Knock Knock". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
11. ^ Sheffield, Rob (February 4, 1999). "Smog: Knock Knock". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 27, 2003. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
12. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Smog". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 754–755. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
13. ^ Male, Andrew (March 1999). "Smog: Knock Knock". Select. No. 105\. pp. 81–82.
14. ^ Price, Simon (March 1999). "Smog: Knock Knock". Uncut. No. 22\. p. 91.
15. ^ "Albums And Tracks Of The Year: 1999". NME. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
16. ^ "The best pop albums of 1999". The Independent. December 17, 1999. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Knock Knock at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Bill Callahan

Studio albums|

| Smog|

* Sewn to the Sky
* Forgotten Foundation
* Julius Caesar
* Wild Love
* The Doctor Came at Dawn
* Red Apple Falls
* Knock Knock
* Dongs of Sevotion
* Rain on Lens
* Supper
* A River Ain't Too Much to Love

|

Bill Callahan|

* Woke on a Whaleheart
* Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
* Apocalypse
* Dream River
* Have Fun with God
* Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
* Gold Record
* Blind Date Party
* Ytilaer

EPs|

* Floating
* Burning Kingdom
* Kicking a Couple Around
* The Manta Rays of Time
* 'Neath the Puke Tree

Compilations|

* Accumulation: None

Related articles|

* Discography
* Goat Songs
* Cynthia Dall

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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