BONNIE PRINCE BILLY Vinyl & CDs

Review: On his latest LP, Will Oldham aka. Bonnie "Prince" Billy dares to work with a producer for the second time: David "Ferg" Ferguson of Johnny Cash and Sturgill Simpson fame, whose attentive hand guides each of these idling songs through to their sinister, diminished conclusions. Led by the ingenious 'London May' - a lolloping Americana concept piece, illustrating the ostensibly lonely, isolated, suicidally ideating (but ultimately not) persona that is BPB - this sombre record ends up a difficult-to-pin one, touching on themes of self-loss, death and devilish deals. Unlike many other records by Oldham, this lilac lilter hears the convalescence of several composers' and vocalists' voices, reflecting a newfound collaborative opening for the artist, perhaps breaking from a common interpretation of his music as solipsistic.

Review: Bonnie "Prince" Billy (Will Oldham) is a folk artist of towering stature, so the news of a new album in 2023 was nothing if not a "stop what you're doing" moment. Now coming to full-length LP format for the first time, after an initial CD and digital release, Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You hears Billy revive the spirit of folk music's roots in community and place, conjuring the wise memories of his past and fusing them with the anxieties of his present day. An all-acoustic, all-emotive album, Oldham makes constant reference to his family and people, getting at the real impossibility of divorcing oneself from community, despite the myths to the contrary peddled by merchants of the American dream.