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Lie Down in the Light Cost: $13.99 (USD)
Will Oldham has built a reputation as a singer-songwriter who taps into a bleak folk tradition as old as America, so the sound of Lie Down In The Light, his sixth studio album under the still confusing pseudonym Bonnie 'Prince' Billy comes as something of a surprise. Whichever way you look at it, this is an upbeat, uplifting record, almost sunny in outlook. Dedicated fans might not prefer him this way (many consider his first record under the name Palace Brothers, the timeless, stricken There Is No One What Will Take Care Of You to be definitive), Lie Down In The Light is undeniably charming and rather witty with it. Take the unexpected clarinet that turns the conclusion of the already rather daft "For Every Field There’s A Mole" into something as light as a silent movie soundtrack, or the way that the otherwise saturnine "Where Is The Puzzle?" remains unresolved. Ashley Webber, once of Canadian new wavers The Organ, duets but even her mournful contributions can’t deflect from Mark Nevers’ skillful production. Only the title track, following an often used Oldham chord change, really sounds generic. Oldham obviously remains set on creating a determinedly solid body of work, but the odd soufflé, such as Lie Down In The Light, doesn’t come amiss.-- Steve Jelbert |