Sewn to the Sky is Smog

Smog (band)

Bill Callahan , is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders...

's debut album, released in 1990 on Disaster Records. It was later re-released on Drag City

Drag City (record label)

Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...

 and manifested Bill Callahan's importance for the Lo-fi music

Lo-fi music

Lo-fi is lower quality of sound recordings than the usual standard for music. The qualities of lo-fi are usually achieved by either degrading the quality of the recorded audio, or using certain equipment. Recent uses of the phrase have led to it becoming a genre, although it still remains as an...

 in the early 90s. This highly experimental album combined homerecording, substandard instruments and repetitive and noisy songwriting-structures for what would later be called the pioneering of the lo-fi genre. The liner notes stated it was recorded on a "dumpster Portastudio

Portastudio

The TASCAM Portastudio was the world's first four track recorder based on a standard compact audio cassette tape.When the original Portastudio 144 made its debut in 1979 it was a revolutionary creative tool...

".

The track "A Jar of Sand" would later be re-recorded for the 'Neath the Puke Tree EP

'Neath the Puke Tree

'Neath the Puke Tree is Smog's fifth EP, released on Drag City in 2000. It was recorded by Brent Puncheon and Leah Baker and features remakes of previous work as well as three new songs.Charlie Gansa played guitar on this record, "Sloth" and Jim White played drums...

in 2000.

The track "I Want to Tell You About a Man", written about Jesus Christ, references Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick

Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...

in the line "He doesn't read Dick K. Philips," reversing Dick's name ostensibly for humor.

Side one

1. "Souped Up II"
2. "Kings Tongue"
3. "Garb"
4. "Hollow Out Cakes"
5. "Confederate Bills and Pinball Slugs"
6. "Coconut Cataract"
7. "Fruit Bats"
8. "Peach Pit"
9. "Disgust"
10. "Russian Winter"

Side two

1. "Polio Shimmy"
2. "Smog"
3. "Lost My Key"
4. "Fried Piper"
5. "Fables"
6. "Puritan Work Ethic"
7. "A Jar of Sand"
8. "I Want to Tell You About a Man"
9. "Olive Drab Spectre"
10. "The Weightlifter"