Will Oldham/Palace/Bonnie Prince Billie: S&D

there's always been a protean quality to his music, which often goes overlooked largely because of the superhuman insularity of his misterioso hillbilly shtick. people tend to link him with these old balladeer types, which a certain prominent vein of his music does encourage. but i hear--sublimated and reconstituted beautifully in the last 3 records--a whole bunch of less-austere influences (sorry mark) there, like a thousand singer-songwriters and alterindie bands.

I don't know why I never really responded to the other Palace albums (though I like some of the songs on "Days in the Wake"). These early singles are just another breed - not just the songs themselves, but the production, the playing, the atmosphere...

"just to see my holly home" is a very funny song. it's about, i guess, the dark side of the whole "nuclear family" thing--the family has a remarkable closeness, but it comes from denigrating and attacking all others and ultimately locking them and the world out forever. oldham cheerfully places mysogynystic musings next to a kind of idealization of his partner/family. anyway this is a boring exegesis but what makes it work is how oldham finds a peculiar balance b/t silliness and earnestness. the balance wouldn't hold if the song had such an insinuating sound.

xpost

i'm not kidding.

What should I buy next?

a) Ease On Down The Road
b) The Lost Blues comp
c) Arise, Therefore
d) Not these ones you nut
d) Bugger it, get them all

BTW, I no longer have the indie guilt referred to up thread. I drowned it in the bath tub last week, most satisfying.

PLUS the "one with the birds"/"take however long you want" single.

piers are you looking for a oldham cd to buy next? i'd recommend "i see a darkness" and then probably one of the two "lost blues" comps and then "days in the wake". "master and everyone" is better than "ease down the road," i think, though both are good. i actually find latterday oldham more interesting than earlier oldham even if the records haven't been perfect.

Arise, Therefore is good so far, but only first listen. Based on what you said I think I'd go with the two lost blues comps and maybe days in the wake. Jess also posted a pretty good S&D way upthread including the first Palace album. He has a fun, if bewildering, back catalog to explore eh?

i have this theory in which i see a darkness is real late at night and ease on down the road is the morning after.

well, that makes me feel like a boring old professor, thanks ("yes, mr. amateurist, we've this one already").

that's not a very evolved theory.

I'm having trouble with BPB sings Greatest Palace Muscic.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/24/bonnie-prince-billy-i-cant-regret-working-with-r-kelly-it-made-me-better-able-to-judge-my-behaviour-and-that-of-others

Didn't know about the Birdman thing.

Thanks for that, the "Birdman" thing is nuts.

His new album is terrific, one of my favorites of his in recent years.

I didn't know he took that Slint cover photo.

feel like the title 'Good Morning, Popocatépetl' is some sort of infringement

new record is great imo

absolutely, def top tier Oldham.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy is headlining Supersonic festival in Birmingham this August/September... I'm hoping this means there will be some other UK dates around that time.

he’s playing QMU in aug. presale is open

Thanks, obviously I'd totally missed that! When was it announced? I blame wretched social media algorithms.

He also has a small role in the upcoming movie The Bikeriders

Every now and then I become convinced “Troublesome Houses” is one of the greatest songs ever written.

H.P otm

also this news today: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3-jBRyunnM/
"ryan daly made this film. i witnessed and nudged. @criterionchannel is now streaming it. the idea was to give audiences a time and space to listen to an intentional grouping of songs, in this case the Bonnie Prince Billy record KEEPING SECRETS WILL DESTROY YOU. it was shown in movie theaters across the western world. i am a card-carrying Criterion subscriber and have found it a tremendous resource for uplift, edification and, at times, escape. we are honored and grateful to have our work on the channel. @dragcityrecords @dominorecordco"