I See Darkness

Throughout my years of listening to music I learned not to be scared of music. More specifically I learned to be more open minded towards musical genres. I love that look people give me when I say that a musician is folk or folkish, its like the kiss of death, atleast to the people I'm around. Years ago if I would of heard Will Oldham, I would of just panned him as another slow country-folk musician. When I was first introduced to Will Oldham I was told that he was Alternative-Country Rock. Then I was told that he sounded like Iron and Wine. He doesn't really sound like Iron and Wine but does have that indie-folk in him.

I See Darkness by Will Oldhams alias Bonnie Prince Billy is his masterpiece in my opinion. Its one of the best drinking by yourself albums. It was named Amazon.com's Best of 1999. I'm not that good with words so I'm going to let Amazon.com run with it (and plus I wrote a whole thing about this album and my browser crashed!)

Will Oldham has always threatened to make a completely devastating album and this is it....Oldham's forte, murder ballads, antispirituals, dead-sea chanteys, and lost-love songs, has always been "difficult," forcing the listener to confront some rather unseemly topics...Oldham is still singing about the blackness of his soul, but in between--in small bursting moments--there are bits of light, hope, and a suggestion that maybe--just maybe--there may be redemption through love. That message, presented in these carefully constructed, gently offered songs, pushes this recording beyond the usual, curious appeal of Oldham and into an entirely new realm of greatness.

This year he released his critically acclaimed Superwolf a collaboration of Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matthew Sweeney which is great but not as great as I See Darkness. If you are not afraid of musical labels check out Will Oldham and his various alias he records under (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Palace, Palace Music, Palace Brothers, and Will Oldham)

Here's some tracks from I See Darkness by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Minor Place

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Madeleine-Mary

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Another Day Full of Dread