The newest from Will Oldham is a collection of sleepytime Western songs. At one point, I actually thought he was going to yodel. My Sunday mornings just got a whole lot better.
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town (2011) – 7.2 / 10.0
Release Date: Oct. 4, 2011
Running Time: 50:20
Label: Drag City
Producer: Will Oldham
Genre: Alternative Folk, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
Drug of Choice: Heroine, Morphine
Key Tracks:
"No Match"
"New Whaling"
"Black Captain"
"Quail and Dumplings"
For me, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy is one of the most uneven artists working today. When he puts something in the barrel it is hard to know if what comes out will be beautiful simplicity or overwrought hogwash. It just seems like Will Oldham can get so lost in his own head that his song construction becomes a convoluted mess. Oldham's newest work as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Wolfroy Goes To Town, is not one of those occasions. The songs here are direct, forward moving, and just damned good. Sparse, Country & Western ballads that Oldham rarely allow to leave their beaten path. I am thankful for that, because these lonely campfire songs are among the best that he has recorded.
From the opening track, "No Match", it is apparent that there will not be any complicated orchestrations on Wolfroy. Oldham plays to his strengths as a gentle balladeer who is truly gifted at observing the things around him everyone else misses. The gentle balladry continues up through to the first chorus of the album's fourth track, "New Tibet". Here Oldham rouses the listener out of their acoustic-induced slumber with a powerful sing-a-long chorus alongside the celestial voice of Angel Olsen. Olsen's appearances throughout the record are an absolute highlight for me. On the following track, "Black Captain", Oldham puts on a clinic for the proper use of space in song. Brilliantly paced, this seven song would seem like fourteen in a lesser songwriter's hands. That space borders on being too drowsy on the second half of Wolfroy as "Cows" and "There Will Be Spring" could benefit the record more by being slightly more uptempo. The problem is quickly answered in the form of "Quail and Dumplings". This cousin of "Shady Grove" is a close as Oldham gets to upbeat on the entire record. Once again, the vocal by Angel Olsen is pitch perfect. The album closes with two more ballads in "We Are Unhappy" and "Night Noises". The latter of the two is an excellent choice for album closer, bringing back memories of so many fine Willie Nelson closing ballads.
In total, Wolfroy Goes To Town is one of my favorite records in recent memory from the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy catalog. Will Oldham exercises the skill his new role as elder statesmen of alternative songwriters would dictate. The songs are expertly chosen, well-edited, and perfectly performed. It is all to rare to find a record with both a clear aim and sensible execution. On those levels Wolfroy delivers even more than it promises.
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Reviewer Stats:
Reviews - 44
Average Rating - 6.8
Highest Rating - 9.5 Blitzen Trapper's American Goldwing
Lowest Rating - 3.5 Ryan Adams' Ashes & Fire
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