Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: Lie Down In The Light
Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:17
A brand new album from the brilliant Will Oldham
Domino, May 19th.
In a nutshell...
Erudite, sculptured, cerebral, energized, beguiling.
What's it all about?
The finest minds of a generation could go crazy following the career of Will Oldham. Performing under a number of guises – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Palace, and Superworlf among them – for nearly two decades, the quixotic singer-songwriter rarely diverges from his shambling, world-weary charm, preferring instead to shape the context of his inimitable delivery. In this latest incarnation, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, (the moniker selected for the majority of the last decade), Oldham has produced some of his strongest work. Key among these achievements is the LP I see a Darkness, produced back in 1999, and Lay Down in the Light Comes close to this level of intimate charm and wry humour.
Who's it by?
Performing for most of the 1990s as Palace (as well as Place Brothers and Palace Songs), Will Oldham has usually operated as a solo artist with a team of hired gun accomplices. Moving into the new millennium Oldham has settled on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy' as his main recording name, but the creaking, timeless voice has changed little. Theological themes are often evoked, but rarely with traditional meaning. Oldham is more accustom to shaping existing material to his own needs; infusing the most standard of material with a modern edge.
As an example...
"I'll go anywhere that you do, and if you don't go before, Lord, I don't want to go without you any more/Meet me in a pillar of fire; shade me with a big white cloud." – I'll be Glad.
"I know my way around the world/It's a circle and it starts and ends/I found my hands on mountain girl, and my efforts condoned by friends." – So Everyone.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is a staple of the industry. Rarely a year passes without a new album from one of the now one of the most established and recognized forces in independent music. That said, Oldham is rarely overtly dynamic. His style has remained constant for years – albeit with mild modifications to accommodate a host of guest players – and it is difficult to imagine such a consistent artist will be able to create sufficent hype to storm the awards ceremonies.
What the others say
"Lie Down may be Oldham's most country record of new songs in years, and it's also one of his most accessible and least academic records." – Pitchfork Media
"There is enough breezily played magic here to ensure that Oldham is still the underground artist most likely to work his way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Independent
So is it any good?
Will Oldham is an acknowledged master of his trade. His style has fermented over the years into a heady mix of gospel, blues, country and his own wellspring voice. His lyrics twist a simple narrative and imbue it with a surprising depth, taking into the subjects of love, death, loss and loneliness. These character traits are much in evidence on Lay Down... in the Light.
But as is also expected Lay Down... – which was produced by Mark Nevers of Lambchop – also has a sharp dose of dark comedy. Oldham never wallows in misery, but puts it up to the light, allowing all to behold each gnarled detail, seeing it for exactly what it is, and allowing the process of recovery to begin. For example Glory Goes carries an emotional weight other artists can only aspire to, but is not slowed by its burden. It has an immediate poignancy, but enough musical spark to maintain interest and even wonder.
So Everyone is perhaps the strongest track included, with Ashley Webber - of Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops – acting as the female foil to Oldham. The track is key to establishing the love found/love lost narrative of the album; maintain a free, fresh feeling of emotional redemption. The fact that the song is about receiving oral sex in public from a new lover only serves to illustrate some of Oldham's wealth of charm – on the surface these are serious, studious pieces, rich with poignancy, but beneath this a twisted genius is at play.
8/10
Christopher O'Toole
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