As a big Bonnie Prince Billy fan I queued up first thing yesterday at Avalanche records in Glasgow to buy his new album. I have to admit that in my eyes BPB can do no wrong however even I have been surprised at how fantastic this is. It's full of his normal sparse musical arrangements and wavering vocals however there is a completeness to this album that is slightly missing from previous recordings.
Normally with any album there are 1 or 2 songs that are "OK" but you tend to fast forward through when listening in the car. On this album all of the songs are standouts in their own different ways and my favourite, "I called you back", is simply stunning and undoubtedly one of Will Oldhams top 5 songs.
I would implore everyone to go out and buy this record. Will Oldham/BPB/Palace is in my view the greatest living songwriter (my brother will have a fit at that statement) and deserves some major recognition. I never thought I would be able to give an album a perfect 10 but this comes as close as I think it will get.
