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Album Review: 'Songs of Love and Horror' by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
With 304 pages, the Songs of Love and Horror contains every set of lyrics Oldham has ever written and it is vast.
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‘Songs of Love and Horror’ by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Will Oldham/File)
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eleased in conjunction with his newly published collection of lyrics, Will Oldham’s latest album, Songs of Love and Horror, continues to show why he remains one of music’s most fascinating figures.
Whether releasing albums under his own name or under variants of his best-known moniker, Bonnie “Prince” Billy — or even his old alias Palace Brothers/Palace Music — Oldham’s music retains a sense of left-field wonderment. Its poetic musings over the many downfalls and peaks of love find a fruitful partner in the addictive contemplations of life’s bleaker offerings.
Sorrow, death and blissful romance permeate his songs, sprinkling endless mystery on a career that spans more than 25 years.
With 304 pages, the Songs of Love and Horror contains every set of lyrics Oldham has ever written and it is vast.
Other than the lyrics themselves, the book features Oldham’s annotations to each song and like the lyrics themselves these notes come with the musician’s characteristically off-kilter wit, which is humorous and thoughtful with a dash of grotesque absurdity.
The album, as it is, collects 10 songs from the Oldham catalogue; some of them are fan-favorites, some of them are lesser-known and one is a cover. What they are not are drastic rearrangements a la 2004’s Greatest Palace Musicalbum, which found Oldham, under his Bonnie “Price” Billy moniker, playing his Palace-era songs in a decidedly country and western style. Songs of Love and Horror offers, instead, minimalist versions of these songs, focusing heavily on Oldham’s singing.
Now, Oldham has certainly grown as a singer since his first full length album, 1993’s There Is No One What Will Take Care of You, but he has never lost that mournful, scrappy feel.
He has learned to utilize what may be perceived as a weakness as something that is his alone.
Like Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen, Oldham’s voice may not be what is traditionally thought of as good, but it is filled with character and knowingness. Like those great names, Oldham has mastered his vocals, knowing when to pull back or add an accent to create dynamics. As all of these songs feature only an acoustic guitar and one layer of vocals, these variations in delivery are resoundingly necessary.
As is its concept, Songs of Love and Horror’s stripped-bare arrangements also put Oldham’ lyrics in the forefront, shedding light on another of his strengths that does not get as much attention as it should.
While “I See A Darkness” remains one of his most popular and, indeed, best songs (Johnny Cash covered it not long before his death), its mournful tone finds a new partner in the way Oldham now delivers the lyrics.
What felt like an overcast of perpetual doom on the original album (1999’s I See A Darkness) is delivered with something that resembles contentment — perhaps Oldham has made peace with that darkness. Maybe it is the less sorrowful and more casual delivery that makes it feel like the emphasis has moved onto the more-assuring ones.
When Oldham sings of more optimistic subjects, they too evoke something a little more casual and contented. His lyrics from “Ohio River Boat Song” are touching in their straightforwardness: “She’s my beauteous Catarina/She’s my joy and sorrow too […] Catarina, your lovely hair/Has more beauty, I declare/Than all the tresses there/From Smoketown to Oldham County.”
In their barren state, the songs don’t exactly pop out. They’re not whisper-quiet, but are delivered with a graceful monotone that shakes some the songs’ original melodic sensibilities. In this, they are less intriguing than any of the original full-lengths or Greatest Palace Music.
Another of his most popular songs, “New Partner”, certainly does not eclipse its album version, with Oldham improvising most of the original melody (one of his most immediate ones) like he does live. Still, the lyrics again keep it very much afloat.
Songs of Love and Horror does not stand with Oldham’s greatest output, but it remains a captivating release and one that is certainly a fitting partner to the book. Newcomers to the artist may do best by getting some of his best full-lengths (I See a Darkness, Days In The Wake, Viva Last Blues, The Letting Gocome to mind, although every fan would tell you something different), but those already in the know can do worse than ordering the book and have themselves some moments of listening to love and horror.
