After playing under a slew of names throughout his musical career, Will Oldham has used "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy" as his artistic conduit since 1999. Lately, Oldham seems to have set himself at a maddening pace of music production, creating compilations and making guest appearances since his last major release.
That's why his latest album, "The Letting Go" should excite fans: It's his first solo work of original material since 2003's "Master and Everyone."
Oldham has kept busy in the meantime; he collaborated with Matt Sweeney on 2005's "Superwolf" and post-rockers Tortoise on "The Brave and the Bold" earlier this year. He put forth "Summer in the Southeast" (2005), an album of live material and even covered songs on 2004's "Sings Greatest Palace Music."
As a musician, Oldham has the reputation of being a minimalist. Often times, his songs consist of no more than percussion, bass and guitar; most instances of other instruments that surface are to be regarded as anomalies and surprises.
With that said, Oldham adds another instrument into the mix on "The Letting Go" - a cello. Whereas "Master and Everyone" employed the cello in a single song, "The Letting Go" is saturated with the instrument. The cello motif that Oldham decided upon for this album alludes to a similar use of piano on his 1999 debut under the Bonnie "Prince" Billy moniker entitled, "I See a Darkness."
The unadorned piano used on that album perfectly complemented Oldham's somber and brooding lyrics with its tone. On "The Letting Go," however, the cello affects a whimsical mood as it serves as an emotional cushion to Oldham's plaintive singing. Oldham's lyrics are equally ominous as on preceding albums, but the cello makes them seem much less austere.
Oldham shares the vocal limelight with Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables. While "Master and Everyone" featured vocalist Marty Slayton on just a few tracks, "The Letting Go" is dominated by McCarthy's back-up vocals.
The combination and predominance of cello and McCarthy's vocals may at first seem a threat to Oldham's proven style. But, in the end, these additions only prove Oldham's versatility; he is still able to dazzle audiences despite incorporating such atypical elements in such great quantity.
Although some listeners will worry that the album is plain and boring from what has been said about it so far, it is not. Oldham's music is simplistic, but the unexpected elements only make it that much more impressive.
Songs of note on "The Letting Go" are plentiful. "Strange Form of Life" starts out sparsely with a simple percussion line and an acoustic guitar framing a perfect harmony between the two vocalists. But, soon, it builds into an uplifting and complexly layered anthem.
Halfway through the album, "Cold & Wet" is a melodically simple blues piece consisting of just acoustic guitar.
Still, Oldham demonstrates his musical intellect with his use of harmonics and a call-and-response-like delay between the guitars. Throughout "Lay and Love," an unexpected half-muted breakbeat lies beneath the vocals and guitar.
"The Seedling," though, is the most impressive song on the album. The track combines the best of "The Letting Go" in the span of one song.
Properly timed orchestral hits and McCarthy's tracked vocals dramatize Oldham's words. In the song, he uses a natural metaphor to croon about an illegitimate child ("In my hidden life/ I made a seedling grow").
Seemingly in conjunction with the album's being recorded in Iceland, Oldham allows famed Bj?¶rk collaborator Valgeir Sigurosson to take up producing responsibilities on "The Letting Go."
His influence can be heard especially in the final throes of the album, as the slight and ethereally beautiful "God's Small Song" projects the Nordic country's essence.
In the end, Oldham demonstrates that being a minimalist doesn't mean you have to be boring. His unanticipated and uncharacteristic instrumental elements make his music that much more impressive. The introduction of McCarty as an integral element to the album does not compromise Oldham's unique voice, but rather accents it.
The additions made to Oldham's basic sound on this album make it perhaps one of the artist's best. "The Letting Go" will long serve as exemplar of his ability, standing out among his large repertoire.
