Will Oldham, better known as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, has a pretty well solidified spot in amongst today’s very best folk artists. He’s in with damned enviable company in Oberst, Waits, and Callahan to name a few. With obvious ease, Oldham has consistently churned out expertly crafted, honest, brooding music for more than a decade. In fact, he’s been so bloody consistent at it for so many years that he’s achieved a transcendence of age that’s characteristic of so many icons. It’s like he’s always been there.
On his latest release, “Wolfroy Goes To Town”, Oldham has once again shown us that he is a master of the quiet, reflective, vintage style. The expectedly phenomenal poetry is led through space by tender melody structures and chord arrangements. Oldham’s with some of his usual co-conspirators in Ben Boyce, Van Campbell, Shahzad Ismaily, Emmett Kelly, Danny Kiely, and Angel Olsen, and between them they’ve put together some fine tracks, the two most notable of which I found to be “Cows” and “Quail and Dumplings”.
“Cows” is a really evocative song that I think applies to the evolution of religion. It also has a neat guitar harmony and weet vocal outro that make it without question my favorite song on the album. “Quail and Dumplings” is another vivid song, despite being partly about living life on the impoverished bottom-rung of society’s ladder, a regrettably resonant theme these days. In it, you’ll also find some Neil Young-ish electric guitar work, soulful vocals, and a punctual double time for a catchy chorus.
Much of the album sort of whispers into the ear, almost like a dirty secret, and who doesn’t like a dirty secret? Oldham uses silence like an instrument, with its appearance lending gravity and its disappearance elevation, working especially well on “We Are Unhappy”. The silence that blankets Oldham’s voice as he whispers that “Nothing is better, nothing is best. We are unhappy, we are unblessed” acts like a force pulling each word into your brain. And It feels good.
So Bonnie “Prince” Billy has delivered what you’d expect from him. There are no curveballs on this record, no surprises. You may be pleased to find more minimalist instrumentation, or you may find the record a bit of a flight to safety if you prefer Oldham’s more recent work. Either way, though, this is tried-and-true BPB handiwork and, knowing that, you probably already know whether or not you’ll like the album.
Connect with Bonnie “Prince” Billy – MySpace | Last.fm | Drag City
