Item: We Are Together Again
Rating: 8
Author: pastemagazine

Wavelength

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We Are Together Again by Bonnie "Prince" Billy reviewed by pastemagazine — 8.0/10 | Wavelength | Wavelength

Will Oldham’s 31st album marks a return to his self-described “Louisville-first” approach to making music. His work is still as vital and sharp as it has ever been.

We Are Together Again marks a return to Oldham’s self-described “Louisville-first” approach to making music. Whereas last year’s The Purple Bird gave its dues to Nashville country with production from David Ferguson, the Kentucky native revisits his roots for a record that owes its imagination to the adjacent Ohio River and the people who call Louisville their home. That prevailing collectivism is baked into the record’s title, but the communal spirit goes deeper than its name. Even though Oldham made a deliberate choice to center Louisville on 2019’s I Made a Place and 2023’s Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You, We Are Together Again feels like his most concerted effort to do so, playing like the final part of a trilogy that pays homage to his origins.

When Oldham had wrapped up making The Purple Bird, he still had some songs left that simply didn’t find a home on that album. Armed with this material, he entered End of an Ear, a recording studio in Louisville, to work with his co-producer and engineer Jim Marlowe. Although these tracks were born from the country-oriented atmosphere of Oldham’s previous record, they stand on their own, embodying the camaraderie of its recording process. Erin Hill, whom Oldham first met as a kid in the ‘80s, plays harp and sings on “Davey Dead,” a late-album highlight that also features Jacob Duncan’s saxophone filtered through Chris Bush’s modular synth wizardry. Despite its sundry moving parts, it all gels together wonderfully. Catherine Irwin lends her radiant harmonies to the fittingly warm “Vietnam Sunshine” and the orchestral pluck of “Hey Little.” Duchess’ frontwomen Lacey Guthrie, Katie Peabody, and Tory Fisher reprise their roles as backing vocalists for the closing track, “Bride of the Lion,” bookending the album with their gossamer, chamber-choir tonalities.

At certain points, it’s an outright family affair. Will’s brother, Ned, returns to play bass on a Bonnie “Prince” Billy record for the first time in two decades. Oldham’s cousin, Ryder McNair, contributes string-quartet arrangements, a skill he even lent to blockbuster Ridley Scott films like House of Gucci and Gladiator 2, contributing some cinematic heft. Some of the twang from Oldham’s last outing carries over to his latest release, but McNair’s arrangements make this a strong contender for Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s most symphonic album yet. Granted, it’s not a massive orchestra backing him. Rather, the supplementary strings augment the lived-in, genial atmosphere these songs exude. For an album that emphasizes the sweet, tender qualities of togetherness and community, it’s a welcome, apt embellishment.

It’d be easy to eventually expect diminishing returns from Oldham 31 albums in, but he has always demonstrated that prolificacy and quality are not mutually exclusive forces. For him, they coexist with the gracefulness present in his music. His work is still as vital and sharp as it has ever been. A catalogue that vast can be equally intimidating, but the abiding aura of We Are Together Again is one of friendship and family. In the closing moments of “Bride of the Lion,” Oldham once again toys with the question he posed at the very beginning of the record. Whose voice is he hearing? Does it belong to you? Does it belong to us? Not quite either but a secret, third thing: “everyone’s, everyone’s starting to bring intention that scrubs and that scours… scours the filth from the light, leaving us sparkling bright.” The kinship has been rekindled. [No Quarter]

Grant Sharples is a writer, journalist and critic. His work has also appeared in Interview, Uproxx, Pitchfork, Stereogum, The Ringer, Los Angeles Review of Books, and other publications. He lives in Kansas City.

In the first few moments of We Are Together Again, Will Oldham’s latest Bonnie “Prince” Billy album, he hears someone sing. “Why Is the Lion?” consists of question after question, but there’s one he asks that’s more integral to the album’s ethos than any other. When that voice of unknown origin rises from the floor, he wonders whom it belongs to. “Is it my voice?” he muses. “Or, better yet, ours?” The three frontwomen of Duchess surround his inquiries with their earthly, inviting vocal harmonies. If that doesn’t suffice as an answer, then Oldham shows us the remaining evidence in the nine songs that follow. He beckons us to listen a little closer. We Are Together Again marks a return to Oldham’s self-described “Louisville-first” approach to making music. Whereas last year’s The Purple Bird gave its dues to Nashville country with production from David Ferguson, the Kentucky native revisits his roots for a record that owes its imagination to the adjacent Ohio River and the people who call Louisville their home. That prevailing collectivism is baked into the record’s title, but the communal spirit goes deeper than its name. Even though Oldham made a deliberate choice to center Louisville on 2019’s I Made a Place and 2023’s Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You, We Are Together Again feels like his most concerted effort to do so, playing like the final part of a trilogy that pays homage to his origins. When Oldham had wrapped up making The Purple Bird, he still had some songs left that simply didn’t find a home on that album. Armed with this material, he entered End of an Ear, a recording studio in Louisville, to work with his co-producer and engineer Jim Marlowe. Although these tracks were born from the country-oriented atmosphere of Oldham’s previous record, they stand on their own, embodying the camaraderie of its recording process. Erin Hill, whom Oldham first met as a kid in the ‘80s, plays harp and sings on “Davey Dead,” a late-album highlight that also features Jacob Duncan’s saxophone filtered through Chris Bush’s modular synth wizardry. Despite its sundry moving parts, it all gels together wonderfully. Catherine Irwin lends her radiant harmonies to the fittingly warm “Vietnam Sunshine” and the orchestral pluck of “Hey Little.” Duchess’ frontwomen Lacey Guthrie, Katie Peabody, and Tory Fisher reprise their roles as backing vocalists for the closing track, “Bride of the Lion,” bookending the album with their gossamer, chamber-choir tonalities. At certain points, it’s an outright family affair. Will’s brother, Ned, returns to play bass on a Bonnie “Prince” Billy record for the first time in two decades. Oldham’s cousin, Ryder McNair, contributes string-quartet arrangements, a skill he even lent to blockbuster Ridley Scott films like House of Gucci and Gladiator 2, contributing some cinematic heft. Some of the twang from Oldham’s last outing carries over to his latest release, but McNair’s arrangements make this a strong contender for Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s most symphonic album yet. Granted, it’s not a massive orchestra backing him. Rather, the supplementary strings augment the lived-in, genial atmosphere these songs exude. For an album that emphasizes the sweet, tender qualities of togetherness and community, it’s a welcome, apt embellishment. It’d be easy to eventually expect diminishing returns from Oldham 31 albums in, but he has always demonstrated that prolificacy and quality are not mutually exclusive forces. For him, they coexist with the gracefulness present in his music. His work is still as vital and sharp as it has ever been. A catalogue that vast can be equally intimidating, but the abiding aura of We Are Together Again is one of friendship and family. In the closing moments of “Bride of the Lion,” Oldham once again toys with the question he posed at the very beginning of the record. Whose voice is he hearing? Does it belong to you? Does it belong to us? Not quite either but a secret, third thing: “everyone’s, everyone’s starting to bring intention that scrubs and that scours… scours the filth from the light, leaving us sparkling bright.” The kinship has been rekindled. [No Quarter] Grant Sharples is a writer, journalist and critic. His work has also appeared in Interview, Uproxx, Pitchfork, Stereogum, The Ringer, Los Angeles Review of Books, and other publications. He lives in Kansas City.