The Curious History of Will Oldham

Will Oldham, aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, aka Palace Music, aka Palace Brothers, aka aka aka... A fantastic musical talent that you should have heard of but tragically may not have. His sound changes even more often than his name so its really hard to classify. Instead I've tried to select a few songs from various points that will provide you a little scope.

1 - I Am A Cinematographer - Palace Brothers

Warbly and lo-fi, this was my very first exposure to the artist though I was tragically a little late to the party, not actually hearing this song until the later nineties. There's a subtle complexity to it but the voice here is striking - like in many of his songs. Its a dark song - again like so much of his work, but the folk elements are particularly strong here. LP: Days in the Wake

2 - The Brute Choir - Palace Music

Here we shift to a more americana/country-rock sound. Its perhaps a little subtle with a single track but the LP provides a lot more examples. A soft, sweet rambling filled with a bitterness characterizes this song in my mind. LP: Viva Las Blues

3 - Madeline-Mary - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

The choice of a song of the I See A Darkness LP tortured me. One of the best albums I've heard in my life and not a track that I find weak. Its received a lot of critical acclaim and made a fair number of lists. Its also the most depressing thing I've ever listened to in its entirety. There's a lot of grit from this choice and its almost a pageant. This particular track won out over a number of qualified applicants because... well its my personal favorite. LP: I See A Darkness

4 - Daniel - Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

I don't really like this release but I think its interesting and its part of the catalog. Now, individually I love both artists but the two coming together to perform covers is a real miss. I think a collaboration could have been brilliant - and it may suffer from that expectation. In any case this is basically an 'archival' inclusion but you, the listener, don't have to agree with my disappointment. LP: The Brave and the Bold

5 - Am I Demon - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

And to prove I don't hate covers (in fact I quite adore them), I'll finish the collection with Oldham performing a cover of a Danzig song. The beauty of this, is that it is not what I would consider a cross genre cover that you like because its so 'wacky'. I think its treated with the utmost respect and it creates a beautiful, different experience for a song rather than just giving you a laugh.

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