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The Letting Go
 
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The Letting Go

~ Bonnie"prince"billy&matt Sweeney, Bonnie Prince Billy
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
Price: £7.38 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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The Letting Go + I See a Darkness + Lie Down In The Light
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  • This item: The Letting Go ~ Bonnie"prince"billy&matt Sweeney

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • I See a Darkness ~ Bonnie Prince Billy

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Product details

  • Audio CD (18 Sep 2006)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Domino
  • ASIN: B000FS9LM0
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 24,843 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category:

    #94 in  Music > Indie > Lo-Fi

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
1. Love Comes To Me
2. Strange Form Of Life
3. Wai
4. Cursed Sleep
5. No Bad News
6. Cold And Wet
7. Big Friday
8. Lay And Love
9. Seedling
10. Then The Letting Go
11. God's Small Song
12. I Called You Back

Product Description

CD Description

'The Letting Go' is the fourth original full length solo release from alt.country singer-songwriter Will Oldham in his Bonnie "Prince" Billy guise. Recorded in Iceland and produced by Valgeir Sigurdsson (Bjork, Mum), this is an album of brooding lyrical lines supported by string quartet flourishes,acoustic guitar and the backing vocals of Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables. Includes the single 'Cursed Sleep'.

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding return to form from visionary genius. , 31 Aug 2006
By Rob_Young "Rob" (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews

The first song 'Love Comes to Me' begins with a string quartet - a beautiful intro to a great song that sets the pace for the rest of the record. This record differs from anything Oldham has previously released. The recording is very lush, courtesy of Valgier Sigurdson's string arrangements. Also, Dawn McCarthy's singing is a parallel to Oldham. Most songs here are duets.

There are reference points - 'Ease Down the Road' and 'Master and Everyone' come to mind.

Jim White plays drums - tastefully as always. Paul Oldham plays bass... very occasionally.

Track two 'Strange Form of Life' builds nicely with a real edge, so it isn't too safe. Oldham's close up voice integrates perfectly with McCarthy's high singing.

'Wai' concludes the opening trio of songs that fit each other perfectly.

Okay, I've used perfectly twice already, but this record is pretty much (almost) perfect.

The lead single 'Cursed Sleep' is more straight-ahead with fewer twists and turns.

'No Bad News' like much of the album was inspired by the tsunami of Boxing day '2004. 'The Letting Go' is pretty much about two subjects - love and the tsunami.
Often the songs take on different juxtapositions. The thread weaves in and out of these songs. There is a line to earth though. Its all very punctiliously written. A Major return to form, but perhaps not as strong as the writing on 'I See a Darkness'.

The jury is out on 'Cold and Wet' . A blues track in the form or Eric Clapton - too dizzy to be John Lee Hooker or Robert Johnson.

'The Seedling' is more harsh and similar to Madeleine Mary ( from 'I see a Darkness' ).

'Then the Letting Go' is a complex folk song with a stunning arrangement delivered effortlessly.

The final song 'I Called You Back' will go down as one of the all time great Will Oldham songs. A story of a couple falling in love, but perhaps at the wrong time. Mesmerizing!

There is hidden track which is also superb. Not sure why its hidden as It fits perfectly with the other songs.

An astonishing return to form from one the great artists of our generation.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Complex and beautiful, 25 Sep 2006
'Letting Go' is a significant step for Oldham, it is sung mostly as duets and features more instrumentation and variety than the minimal earlier albums. And it mostly works brilliantly.

Although almost lush at times, embellished by guitars or with the rumble of dark percussion (on the excellent The Seedling for instance) it would be a mistake to think this is a total change of tack and the songwriting is at times as clear and postic as on 'Master And Everyone'. However the album is also imbued with a vague sense of strangeness, the backing vocals of Dawn McCarthy are sweet but somehow slightly 'disconnected' and the very English folk lilt of her voice is an effective counterpoint to Oldhams sweet lisp.

If being picky the album drifts a little towards the end, and why the final track (which actually rounds things off well) should be 'hidden' after a long delay is beyond me.

All in all possibly the best work he has done to date.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars it's really good, actually, 4 Jan 2007
don't know what all you naysayers are going on about. It might even be my favourite Will Oldham album - yes, including There Is A Darkness. Deffo the best thing he's done since then, at any rate. Having read reviews I was expecting the backing vocals to drown out everything, but they are well-placed in the mix throughout. Aren't they? Well, I like it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad
the album has a strong opening which unfortunately doesn't carry through into the rest of the songs. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. CRAIG

4.0 out of 5 stars Baked Alaska
Will Oldham welcomes Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables on guest-vocal duty for this frosty release, which is paradoxically easier to love than its predecessor, Master And Everyone,... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gannon

4.0 out of 5 stars Will Oldham duets with Dawn McCarthy on atmospheric - and accessible - collection
The prolific prince of the indescribable, Will Oldham has shapeshifted his way through album after album of delicately profound Americana. Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2007 by C. O'Brien

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the Masterpiece It So Wants to Be
All the stars seem to perfectly align on "Cursed Sleep" and unfortunately nothing else on The Letting Go comes close to matching the lush, epic, crescendo arrangement and... Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2006 by DMc

4.0 out of 5 stars The Letting Go
While this isn't the definitive BPB album [there is nothing here to match the majesty of I See a Darkness, for example], The Letting Go is a fantastic record, and one that rewards... Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2006 by James Choles

5.0 out of 5 stars Frequently played in my house!
This is just what you'd hope from BPB at his best: Proper, grown up music, full of subtlety and charm.
Published on 4 Oct 2006 by SWM

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I agree with the previous reviewer - the choice of backing vocalist seriously detracted from my enjoyment of this record. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2006 by Patrick Kirk

1.0 out of 5 stars God Awful Backing Vocals
God Awful Backing Vocals absolutely destroy each and every song. The backing vocals are unbelievably bad totally unoriginal making this record un listenable. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2006 by Sean Canavan

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just Bonnie....beautiful
Just for the record (no pun intended) I am a big Will Oldham fan and I would probably give him 4 stars for coughing. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2006 by old willham

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicate, shockingly beautiful
This record caught me unprepared. I've been an Oldham fan for nearly 10 years, and loved many of his albums - those of recent years have been excellent (e.g. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2006 by Matthew Kirkcaldie

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