Rusty-voiced singer/songwriter
Will Oldham
has steadily released new music under his
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
moniker, but his consistent output obscures how few and far between his proper solo albums actually are. Though there were multiple collaborations, a set or two of covers, and re-recordings of his back catalog along the way, the last fully solo
album before 2023's
Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You
was 2019's
I Made a Place
, and before that, 2011's
Wolfroy Goes to Town
. These outings tend to include
BPB
's most focused and moving material, and
takes its place alongside some of his best work. The album was recorded in Louisville with a host of local musicians, and the production is homey and organic. On opening track "Like It or Not," the spare mandolin plinks, harmonizing strings, and even supporting vocals from
Dane Waters
all sound like they're happening in separate corners of the same room, being picked up from a distance by a few randomly placed microphones. The open-air sound and restrained instrumentation -- there are no drums, and some songs barely rise above the level of a whisper -- add to the soft, contemplative air that breathes throughout. On every track,
Oldham
's voice and ever-unique songwriting style are in the spotlight. There are moments of sparse, conversational Americana sweetness like the gentle back and forth between electric piano and sung verses on "Sing Them Down Together," hushed devotional balladry on the minimal "Rise and Rule (She Was Born in Honolulu)," and some puckish absurdity on the confusing sensuality of "Bananas." The glacial arrangements for violin and viola on songs like "Crazy Blue Bells" and the gorgeous "Willow, Pine and Oak" recall the misty atmospheres of
's 2006 high-water mark,
The Letting Go
, as do the ambient sounds that struggle to clear the fog as the ecological folk dirge "Trees of Hell" slowly unfolds.
is slow moving, intentional, and mysterious, with
's long-practiced balance of menace and thoughtfulness at its peak. Like the best of
's work that came before it,
is the kind of record that gets played over and over until it feels like a part of the listener's personal history. ~ Fred Thomas