Tracks and Gigs has acquired a promo of the new Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album. Yes, another one! Not content with releasing a live album and a covers album last year and a new studio album this year, here he is with another live album. This is a very different concert recording though. 'Is It The Sea' documents a 2006 gig in Edinburgh where BPB was joined by Scottish drummer Alex Neilson and the (also Scottish) folk group Harem Scarem. I have never heard of this group before, but they clearly contain female singers and all manner of flute, banjo, accordian and fiddle players. It adds a Celtic flavour to the Bonnie Prince's songs and completely changes the feel of some of them.
Will Oldham, like Dylan, seems to regard his songs as ever-changing living things that don't necessarily, on any given night, have to sound anything like they originally did on record. This is why his live albums are rarely dull and why this record reminds me an awful lot of Dylan's incredible Rolling Thunder tour recordings.
The set features songs from throughout Oldham's career as well as a couple of traditional numbers. Highlights include an epic version of 'Cursed Sleep' and a harmony rich reading of 'Ain't You Wealthy, Ain't You Wise'. A take on the traditional Irish folk ballad 'Molly Bawn' steals the show though, building from a waltz into a frenzied finish, it is both haunting and rousing and like nothing else you've heard on a Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album before.
The best live albums always make you wish you had been at the gig and this one does. Its even worse for me because I was in Edinburgh about a week after the show took place! This serves as a wonderful document of the music Oldham and his guests were making on this particular night. He sounds so full of energy and enjoyment from performing the songs in this way, but it wouldn't surprise me if his next gig after this one was a solo acoustic performance. He is one of the great talents in music today and this is an innovative and enjoyable exploration of some of his songs.
8.3
['Is It The Sea' is out in October on Domino on cd/2LP]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment