wow. its been too long. in my defense, things have been pretty busy, and the past two weeks have involved traveling to LA and getting violent food poisoning from a batch of sushi (there were scallions in the roll, perhaps i got e-coli? i certainly hope not).
Recently, i’ve been spending a lot of time listening to the singer/songwriter genre. In recent months (perhaps years), i’ve been depressed regarding this genre. The James Blunts, John Mayers, and Joshua Radins of the world had temporarily turned me off from paying much attention to the genre in general. However, it was recently that i decided to go back to the roots of singer/songwriters and pay homage to the “good” ones- the classics- that made James, John, and Joshua want to be something that, in my book, unfortunately, they will never be.
I started from one of the younger great singer songwriters by listening to the first few albums of the genius, Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Some of your elders might remember this guy as Will Oldham (he produced 6 or 7 albums under that name or the moniker, Palace Brothers) , but in the late 90s, he created the moniker, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and released I See A Darkness. This album won him a place in PitchforkMedia’s Top 100 Albums of the 1990s, and simultaneously, he won a place in my heart (haha). After listening to a combination of his music, both from under the name Will Oldham and Bonnie Prince Billy, I decided it was time to take the risk and listen to his 2006 album (something I couldn’t believe i hadn’t listened to yet- but like i said, i was on a hiatus from singer songwriters), The Letting Go. He actually recorded The Letting Go in Reykjavik, Iceland and the album was produced by a man named Valgeir Sigurosson - which may ring a bell (not just because the end of his name sounds like the amazing band, Sigur Ros, but also because he’s done a lot of work with… thats right… Bjork. The ice queen herself. Moving back to Bonnie, The Letting Go is genius. The tracks flow one to another with perfection- why don’t musicians spend time planning the order of tracks like that anymore!? Will Oldham (i’m going to switch back and forth with the names depending on my sentiment- my nostalgic emotions call on me to say Will, whereas the new twists of the album give me the desire to move on to say Bonnie). Anyway- Will Oldham has a way of cutting his lyrics to the shape of my emotions. He brings me conversations about everything from the inane to the heaviest relationship teary eyed discussions i have had. Cursed Sleep is my favorite track on the album- apparently its the single, which makes me feel boring- nonetheless, it is a brilliant piece. His country-rock twinge faced with the slow spiritual aspects of his sound make his music quite a mood shifter. He simultaneously brings me back to road trips with my family and moves me forward to my own individualist thoughts that he somehow has captured through the vocals (and backup vocals- which are incredible on this album) of many of the tracks. I’m off to a casting now- but listen to Will Oldham- and then move yourself on to Bonnie Prince Billy- especially check out Summer in the Southeast (2005) and Arise Therefore (1996), oh and Days in the Wake (under the moniker Palace Brothers) (1994)- though not necessarily in that order. More soon…
