by Heather PharesAfter a decade as one of indie rock's most consistent, versatile artists, Smog's ninth album catalogs the sounds and emotions that Bill Callahan explored on previous albums. Dongs of Sevotion borrows Wild Love's chamber rock arrangements, Red Apple Falls' droning folk, The Doctor Came at Dawn's painful honesty, Knock Knock's sardonic humor, and even nods to Burning Kingdom's album artwork. While these eclectic influences could have had scattered results, Dongs of Sevotion is remarkably spare and focused; over half the album is just Callahan on vocals and guitar and\u002For piano, with Tortoise's John McEntire on drums. Not surprisingly, the starker songs are the most lyrically loaded. On the coming-of-age ballad Nineteen, Callahan laments, My movements were slow\u002FShe didn't even know\u002FWhat she was taking away, and on Devotion, he notes, There are some terrible gossips in this town\u002FWith jaws like vices and eyes like drains. Easily Led and Distance are musically and emotionally similar, tending to blend together in the middle of the album. However, Dongs begins with Justice Aversion, a survival-of-the-fittest tale set to icy, detached synths, and Dress Sexy at My Funeral, a warm, sensual recounting of a man's final wishes: Tell them about the time we did it with fireworks above us -- a one-two punch that captures the album's range. Bloodflow mixes a Jew's harp, cheerleaders (the Dongettes, natch), and a galloping beat, and rhymes tete-a-tete with machete, distilling the album's twists and turns. But Callahan saves the best for last: Permanent Smile a song of devotion that, with its echoing drums and rippling piano loop, sounds like a collaboration between Phil Spector and Philip Glass. It's this reverence and irreverence that makes Smog so enduring, and Dongs of Sevotion another strong album.