Somewhat astoundingly, The Purple Bird is Will Oldham’s album number 21 using his Bonnie “Prince” Billy alias. A fine set of alt country tunes, recorded in Nashville and largely co-written with producer David Ferguson, it also happily suggests that he’s nowhere near the end of his creative journey.
Despite many of these tunes being previewed during his headline set at last summer’s Supersonic Festival, this album is not one that has much in common with the likes of Melt Banana, Gazelle Twin or many of the other noise terrorists and experimentalists that normally show their faces there. But then, its rural American lilt notwithstanding, The Purple Bird is also unlikely to be found rubbing shoulders with the sounds of rootin’-tootin’ good ole boys like Jason Aldean and Brantley Gilbert. Not with tunes like the wonderful “Guns Are for Cowards”.
From calls for brotherly love and understanding, like the mellow “Turned to Dust (Rolling On)” to the finger picking flavoured ballad of self-doubt, “Is My Living in Vain?”, The Purple Bird is laidback and relaxed throughout. That’s not to say that Oldham’s tunes are completely horizontal and “The Water’s Fine” and “Tonight with the Dogs I’m Sleeping” are both lively enough to get hips swinging and toes tapping. While “Our Home”, his hymn to community and fellowship with bluegrass veteran, Tim O’Brien, rounds things off with a big smile and a warm hug.
“Guns Are for Cowards”, however, is the album’s major highlight with its oom-pah-pah groove and crystal-clear attitude towards firearms ownership which will probably chafe with many of his fellow countrymen. It hardly betrays a particularly outrageous point of view for the rest of us though and may even have the makings of a stand-out tune for this year, despite us still being a good distance from the beginning of Spring.
