Album of the Week #21: "The Letting Go" by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

John

The new album from Will Oldham is, in my very humble opinion, one of the best he's put out so far. Really digging this CD, especially considering it's got my favourite drummer (Jim White) and some absolutely stunning vocals by Dawn McCarthy (I've no idea who she is but I love her singing!). Anyone else pick this up yet?

Mr Rivers

Aye, I;ve noticed you listenin to that on last.fm *stalker hand motions*

I'll track me down a copy and report back later

DadaKopf

Aye, it's a very nice album. Have to listen to it more, though. Love the strings and the singing, and Jim White's drumming is, well... he does what it says on the tin. Grate.

Andy-Pandy

Nice, Ill try and track down a copy of it to day, i love 'I See darkness',

John

I think this may be up there with I See a Darkness. It normally takes me a while to really get into a BPB album but this one has taken hold of my ears and isn't giving them back!

smackbunnybaby

was listening to the single last night and it is brilliant (forget what it was called) - im a big fan of him.

Ease down the road is probably my favourite album. Superwolf with matt sweeney is also fantastic

He manages to sound fresh and meaningful on each album

Lunar Junkie

Yeah I really like this album, almost as good as Superwolf which was one of my favourites from last year.. The female singer Dawn McCarthy is in a band called Faun Fables, they make a sort of creepy, haunting folk music similiar to some of the stuff that came out of England in the early 70s.. They have a great album from 2001 called Mother Twilight, I highly recommend it.

sonic juice

Love his fragile voice, such beautiful and moving music,he always seems to appear in random indie films.

Mr Rivers

Really nice album, thanks for the recommendation!

Very relaxed and beautiful, he sounds so bare at times, it's cool

Anyone get kinda the same vibe as Frank Black & The Catholics "Show Me Your Tears"? Especially on the track "Cursed Sleep"?

John

Lunar Junkie wrote:

The female singer Dawn McCarthy is in a band called Faun Fables, they make a sort of creepy, haunting folk music similiar to some of the stuff that came out of England in the early 70s.. They have a great album from 2001 called Mother Twilight, I highly recommend it.

Cool, I'll have to check that out!

SBob

John wrote:

It normally takes me a while to really get into a BPB album but this one has taken hold of my ears and isn't giving them back!

Agreed, i loved it straight away.

he achieves soft, folky, lovely music without being in any way cringeworthy or pretentious - Damien rice take note.

his country/blues lilt really comes through in this album, I think this is as good as anything he has done

nlgbbbblth

good album.

is the unlisted / extra track on the CD any good? - it's not on the vinyl

also - did anyone get the limited double CD version - ?

John

nlgbbbblth wrote:

is the unlisted / extra track on the CD any good? - it's not on the vinyl

It's all right but not worth buying the CD just for it.

also - did anyone get the limited double CD version - ?

Released and sold out during the Electric Picnic weekend, missed it

RE*AC*TOR

I admit the drum work is excellent. The orchestral accompaniments are at time brilliant. I still find it hard to get past his voice though, it grates on me a little. He's a dreary motherfúcker. Not in the down and out masculine way of Tom Waits, nor in the forlorn poet, Leonard Cohen, but a much more mundane kind of dreariness.

I SHOULD like his music (at times I do), but something is holding me back.

bowsie casey

I got this album based on it being an Album of the Week, and a vague recollection of some cool Palace Brothers tunes on No Disco about 1994 (a video with plasticine men is in my head)....

Anyway, I must say it's been a great find for me - I love the album. Unlike above poster, I think Will's voice is great, beautifully calm and understated. In general, the backing vocals are quite good, with some lovely harmonies in "Lay and Love" among others, although I think one or two songs could have been better without them (I think Dawn McCarthy provided vocals on one track on the last Dirty Three album). Jim White's drumming is pretty good, but did not stand out for me on this album, as it did for some other posters. For me, his best drumming is on Dirty Three's "Horse Stories" where he is untouchable.

My favourite tunes here are: "Strange Form of Life", "Cursed Sleep", "The Seedling", "Lay and Love" and the title track.

Get this album. I will be looking back through the back catalogue for my next purchase!