Recorded at Pedernales Studios deep in Bush's Texas, 'A River Ain't Too Much' furthers the Smog sound whilst retaining a tacit link with the past. Always at odds with the band name, Smog's production is crystal clear and startlingly lucid, allowing Callahan to get right in your head. Increasingly taking on shades of Johnny Cash in both tone and content, 'Palimpsest' opens the record with slow-footed, plucked acoustic guitar which diverts your eye away from the razor sharp lyrics just long enough for them to really sting you. Fusing country, folk and acoustic melancholy, 'Say Valley Maker' is classic Smog with Callahan's confessional stance revealing "well I never really realised death is what is meant by make it on your own..." whilst 'The Well' ups the tempo and the ante with a sunny-side cut. Who said Smog was bad for you?