Album Review: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Pond Scum

Who is Bonnie “Prince” Billy?

He’s an unnerving, esoteric folk singer, and the alias of Will Oldham, who has used the name for nearly 20 years.

What is Pond Scum?

It’s a collection of Oldham’s Peel Sessions, recorded on BBC Radio 1.

Why are you listening to it?

Because I genuinely like one song by Oldham (“I See A Darkness,”) and for a while now, he’s seemed like an artist that I should be paying more attention to—but aside from downloading the album I See A Darkness, I haven’t done much else toward the these efforts. And as I sit on the floor of my living room—which is where I do a bulk of my writing for this blog—I need something to review. Or at least, I feel like I need something to review to keep generating content. And January is a tough time for new releases, since there isn’t a ton of new stuff coming out right now.

So it’s a new release of old songs by an artist that I am feigning interest in at this very moment. But I’ll be honest, I’m having a hard time getting into it.

And why is that?

One reason, I think, is that I just kind of don’t listen to a lot of music anymore. I have a short list of four releases spread out between now and March that I am interested in reviewing—but I should probably write more than four reviews in the next 50 or so days. But new music—like, a lot of stuff that’s out there right now, just isn’t interesting to me, and therefore, I don’t want to listen to it, and I sure don’t want to write a review of it.

Oh ok. Well, sorry this has become a chore for you.

No. It’s fine. Don’t apologize. It’s nobody’s fault by my own.

So about this Bonnie “Prince” Billy thing…

Right, yes. Pond Scum. It collects Oldham’s Peel Sessions from even before he was performing as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, so for the longtime fan, it’s sure to be an interesting collection. Descriptors like ‘fragile’ and ‘evocative’ could be used to describe Oldham’s spectral performances on Pond Scum, as well as his lyrics. And like most folk singers of his ilk, it is, without a doubt, an acquired taste.

What do you mean? Can you elaborate on that?

I think this may be another reason I am struggling to get into this album right now—maybe I never will. Chances are, after I finish this review, I’ll never even think to listen to Pond Scum again (like so many other albums I’ve reviewed for this site) and it will just take up space on my computer until I think to delete it. Anyway, Oldham’s folk-singer yelp is leaving a lot to be desired right now. In some songs, it works, and it’s tolerable, like on the restrained, introspective “Beezle,” which is apparently an unreleased track that makes its way onto this collection. It’s listenable, and enjoyable for what it is, but it’s not life changing in the way “I See A Darkness” was for me at a certain, very low point in my life last year.

The similarly minded “Jolly One (2/15)” is also similarly as listenable, for similar reasons—restrained, introspective, et. al.

See, when certain Oldham elements come together, it really works.

But then there are other moments, where it doesn’t work—like on the off-kilter warbles of “The Houseboat” or “The Idol On The Bar.” It’s just unlistenable to me, which is why singer/songwriter folk stuff is something that I’ve really lost a taste for over the last decade or so. Maybe if I’d discovered Oldham when I was in college, when listening to music like this is acceptable, I would feel differently. He’s the kind of artist I would have tried a lot harder to like—like, tried to make myself listen to (i.e. Bright Eyes, et. al)

So what’s your conclusion?

The conclusion is that Pond Scum is not accessible for a casual, or uninformed Oldham fan. It helps to have working knowledge of his canon, which is something I do not have, and am purely going on the Bonnie “Prince” Billy name alone, by saying simply, “Hey, here is an album by an artist I have heard of once or twice.” This collection is not for that person.  It’s for someone who has followed Oldham’s career back when he was playing in various acts with the word “Palace” in the name. To someone who is stepping into this without any prior knowledge, it arrives as a collection of boring, maudlin folk strummings  that remains stagnant throughout the course of its twelve tracks.

 Pond Scum is out now via Drag City.