Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Singer’s Grave A Sea of Tongues
Drag City
A decade ago Will Oldham started to reach the peak of his “mainstream” acceptance/success – people knew to look out for him. In the last half-decade he’s back to blasting out so much stuff and nonsense that releases come and go, sometimes you wouldn’t have a clue – he’s gone to all but the most dedicated. I used to special-order import Oldham material, now half a dozen albums can fly by without my realising, hardly ever caring to try to catch up. Sometimes I’ll dip a toe back in the water, I’m usually pleased enough with what I hear – pleased enough too to not be a die-hard (not any longer). There’s not been anything that’s meant a whole lot to me from him recently apart from that really rather lovely set of Everly Brothers covers with Dawn McCarthy.
So here we have Oldham in lazy Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy mode, reinventing his own songs, changing titles and a few words – retracing earlier steps, laconic voice and soft-strum arrangements too.
It’s lilting, wilting and sometimes really lovely. It’s soft and easy to take and those country/folk hues sit just so.
He’s expert at covering himself, at dressing things up just enough so that they feel new – or different, or different-enough and once or twice here the material almost digs deep enough to resonant, to be lifted up alongside that I See A Darkness material; you know back when he first started getting the big rave notices in the mainstream rock press.
But just as often it’s politely cooed songs that go nowhere on purpose. Sunday Drive Songwriting is a bit of speciality for Oldham, perfect airbrushing from gospel-tinged backing vocals and stately-grace fiddles, just enough of a rustic feel.
I’m glad I heard Singer’s Grave – in some strange way it has me newly enthused, even though I could muddle this up with a handful of earlier releases and barely notice the difference. That voice is wonderful, the material is always good-enough but you wonder how enthused this has Oldham? Or if that ever mattered?
On that Everly album he sounded like he was trying, there was passion in the voice. This is a drifter’s comedown as much as it’s any sort of comeback. It’s nice and all. But actually that is all.