Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Singer's Grave / A Sea of Tongues (Drag City / Palace, 2014)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Singer's Grave / A Sea of Tongues
Drag City / Palace
2014

Rating: 7.5 overseen cambers out of 10

Usually one of the main draws for any Will Oldham aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy record is his extremely sparse / spartan approach to folk and country and old time music.  So I was quite shocked to put this album on and find out how big it sounded!  Most of the songs here previously appeared on a release from a few years ago called "Wolfroy Goes to Town," and they sounded exactly as you would expect - quiet, introspective, haunting.  This time around, the production is amped up like they were trying to emulate a hit Nashville record from the seventies...lots of instruments on every song, full choruses as backing vocals, and Oldham sounding more upbeat than ever when he delivers the vocals (or at least as upbeat as is possible out of him).  It was all a bit of a shock at first, but as I sat with the record it really grew on me.  I'm not saying I'd want Oldham to record all of his music like this, but it's a fantastic project and I wouldn't thumb my nose to hear other past recordings of his get this type of reworking just to see what we end up with.

Palace Songs - Horses 7'' (Drag City, 1994)

Palace Songs
Horses 7''
Drag City
1994

Rating: 6 black masks out of 10

Back before Will Oldham was Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, he was multiple variations on the name Palace - in this case, Palace Songs.  Musically this is very much in line with his other releases as Palace, very delicate and quiet twangy folk, it feels as if you could break these songs in half.  But of course you can't do that, because music doesn't exist in a physical form and if you try to break the air coming from your speakers in half you'll just look like a moron.  Side A here, the title track, is a Mekons cover, and the B side is a track called "Stable Will" that I believe to be an original.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Hummingbird 10'' (Spiritual Pajamas, 2012)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Hummingbird 10''

Spiritual Pajamas

2012

Rating: 7 vials of red dye out of 10

As sure as the sun will rise each day, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy will put out a new record.  This particular release was one of them limited edition thingies for record store day 2012, and features Will Oldham and some of his friends (members of Beachwood Sparks, Entrance Band and cairo Gang) performing a few covers.  Specifically, the title track by Leon Redbone, Merle Haggard's "Because of Your Eyes," and a traditional song called "Tribulations."  BPB is so good at putting his stamp on songs though that unless you already knew these songs, you'd just assume they were original compositions of his.  Maybe not a must have release, especially since it might be tough to track down, but as good as most anything else he has released recently.  

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Mariee Sioux - Bonnie And Mariee 7'' (Spiritual Pajamas, 2012)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Mariee Sioux

Bonnie And Mariee 7''

Spiritual Pajamas

2012

Rating: 5.5 close out sales out of 10

Hey, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy released a new record!  Shocking I know.  A double 7'' this time out, and a collaboration with a young folk singer named Mariee Sioux, who I've never heard of before.  They got an all-star group of musicians to round out the session band, including Farmer Dave of my beloved Beachwood Sparks plus members of A Perfect Circle, Bright Eyes, The Entrance Band).  All that said...it sounds like pretty typical BPB work, only he's got a female singer helping him on vocals.  Current fans will surely enjoy, but there is nothing essential about this.  

(Insert snarkiness here on how stupid the name of the label is, which surely must have been created by one of those "random band name" generators that are all over the internet.)  

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town (Drag City, 2011)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Wolfroy Goes To Town

Drag City

2011

Rating: 6.5 quail cows out of 10

So Will Oldham aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy released a new album...is it just me or is he starting to approach Robert Pollard territory with the number of releases he's putting out these days?  And like Pollard, not every song is a gem but his batting average is high enough that you'll give anything they put out a listen. 

Lately it's felt like Oldham has been going for a bigger, almost alt-country full-band sound, but this album is a step back to simpler, Palace-style songwriting and performing.  Very sparse instrumentation, exceedingly mellow, songs based mostly around just the man's voice and a guitar, with maybe a little organ or mellotron filling the background and the occasional female voice for accompaniment.  "Black Captain" is a quality track and there are no stinkers on the record, but I'd be lying if I said this release was overly exciting.  It's just good, and sometimes that's good enough.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang - Island Brothers 10" (Drag City, 2011)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang
Island Brothers 10"
Drag City
2011

Rating: 7.5 tender honey devils out of 10

I was kind of ready to make a snide comment about this Bonnie 'Prince' Billy release sounding like most everything else the dude puts out, but in actuality it's a little different, more upbeat and quite enjoyable, not maudlin and morose as is often the case. I don't know dick about the Cairo Gang but I really like what they are bringing out in Will Oldham's sound, especially on the title track "Island Brothers". Oldham's voice soars while the rest of the band harmonizes with him in old-school mountain music fashion. The b-side is a fine track, but not why you should buy this. And if you're on the fence, the proceeds from the 10" go towards Haiti relief, so you can feel good and get some good music to boot.