Now, we are all aware that Will Oldham likes to dabble in new things and explore new style styles, but this new record is resoundingly different; here, on Singer’s Grave a Sea of Tongues, he swaps his timbre and disheartened lyrical panache for higher octave vocals. Opposing his stripped down, raw acoustic élan, most of this new album is musically layered with slide guitar and banjo but also the backing vocals of The McCrary Sisters, fundamentally creating a more buoyant sound.
Sounding upbeat and typically rootsy Americana, Oldham’s new album (released last month, 22nd September) appears once more under the well-known guise of Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Revisiting one of his older albums, 2011’s Wolfroy Goes To Town, he produces a fresher, resoundingly chirpy (well, for Oldham) record from these delicate arrangements.
‘Night Noises’ is one of the more lo-fi tracks, but still has the jaunty country-and-western sound that threads throughout Singer’s Grave a Sea of Tongues, whereas ‘Sailors Grave a Sea Sheep’ does sway more towards his more conventional pathos and melancholy, punctuated by the heartache of slide guitar. Hopeful and jovial, ‘Quail and Dumplings’ incorporates backing vocals from Angel Olsen, banjo, strings and accompanying percussion, intrusive for a Bonnie “Prince” Billy album. Significantly layered, ‘So Far and Here We Are’ comprises drums, electric guitar and bass, reminiscent of the more ‘psycho’ (and less Bonnie “Prince” Billy) Sons and Daughters.
Undoubtedly the more loyal Will Oldham fan will enjoy and make it along to his November London gig at St. Johns later in the year. However, those that opt for the timbre-heavy, raw-sounding Bonnie “Prince” Billy might be disappointed with this more polished record, though it must be said that the talent is rife and production values high. Notable is the lacking of Angel Olsen’s backing vocals, which on the previous album counterbalanced Oldham’s baritone and despite being polished and overpowering the overall mood that resonates with this album is not as effective or impacting as the 2011 record.
This is clearly something new, and something to which one of the tracks even alludes, and there are moments where it would appear that he is trying to create a sound more similar to Willie Nelson than his grave bluegrass/folk sounds. His stripped-down clarity has been replaced with several layers of refined talent, and will keep his fans uniformly disposed until his more formidable self returns.
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You can purchase a copy of Singer’s Grave a Sea of Tongues here
Hear a recent Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s radio interview here
