Last week I enthused about Gold Record, another staggering Bill Callahan album in a career full of them. I would very much like to go see Callahan perform those songs on tour, but seeing as we’re still stuck in shitty pandemic limbo, we’ll all have to settle for online videos.

The upside of the one out today is that what it lacks in physical presence, it makes up for in charming intimacy. Gold Record and its predecessor Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest are situated within Callahan’s domestic life in Texas, so it logically follows that for his entry into NPR’s at-home Tiny Desk Concert series, he performed in his backyard. It’s hard to say whether the yard or the garage is a more dad-appropriate venue, but either way I am here for it.

Joined by trumpet player Derek Phelps, guitarist Matt Kinsey, and a tiny desk of his own, Callahan played arguably the three best songs from Gold Record, “Pigeons,” “Another Song,” and “The Mackenzies” (which he says is based on a couple he bought a Dodge Caravan from in 1992). He also slotted Shepherd highlight “Released” second in the setlist. Callahan’s wife, the director Hanly Banks Callahan, filmed the performance.

“There are a lot of voices these days,” Callahan tells us near the end of the set. “So many that, I think, even positive sentiments become detrimental in their deafening number. Quiet reflection can be the clearest and most informative and soothing voice you’ll ever hear. There are many unknowns at this time in history. It’s more than a junction in our old world. It’s the possibility of a whole new world. A large part of me believes this. Listen to music, read books, talk to friends and family. Don’t listen to the voices, not even mine!”

It’s a sentiment that aligns with Callahan’s recent music, as does this performance. Watch below.

Gold Record is out now on Drag City.