"Is It The Sea?"
(Domino)
eight / ten
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BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY AND HAREM SCAREM "Is It The Sea?" (Domino) eight / ten |
Will Oldham exists in a cosy critic-proof cocoon, nourished and protected by the warm amniotic fluid of a fervent coterie of loyal fans and the repeated plaudits his work has received since he emerged from Louisville, Kentucky as Palace Brothers some 15 years ago. Few artists are allowed his musical freedoms, where he lives separate from the vagaries of fashion and front-cover zeitgeist chasing, and the reward for both him and his audience is a vibrant and evolving body of work that always throws up albums worth investigating.
This live collaboration with Scottish folksters Harem Scarem is no different, marrying the visceral, rootsy noirish Americana of Oldham, with the Caledonians' flinging, traditional instrumentation and elegiac female harmonies. Anyone who happened to catch this 2006 tour in the flesh will remember a warm evening of homefires folk and moving porch-songs, and the album faithfully recreates the charm and camaraderie both parties exuded on the night.
Bonnie Prince Billy favourites 'Wolf Among Wolves', 'Master And Everyone' and 'Minor Place' are given subtle makeovers. The added vibrancy and colour may take some of the barbed resonance away for the originals but it is replaced with a heartswelling grandeur. A worthy and rewarding experiment.
Mark Keane
www.myspace.com/princebonniebilly"
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