Bonnie Prince Billy (aka Will Oldham) is just churning out the releases it seems. The third single to be released off of 2006s full-length, The Letting Go, this EP offers three songs and two videos. Though the idea of Bonnie Prince Billy releasing a single in the traditional sense of the word is kind of absurd, "Strange Form of Life is such a singularly strong song that it merits this reissuing of sorts in order for it to further stand out from the rest of The Letting Go. Featuring label-mate and Faun Fables front-woman Dawn McCarthy on backing vocals, the title track is a sublime and ethereal duet these two people were born to sing together. Jennifer Parsons accompanying video for the song features shaky, hand-held images of nature and of Oldham singing and driving in his car, slightly hamming it up for the camera, which isnt a surprise given his recent forays into acting. The songs "New Partner and "The Sun Highlights the Lack in Each are reworked performances of older songs, reissued here for the first time. The record also features a new song, "The Seedling, and a video for "Ebb Tide, another track off of The Letting Go, also directed by Jennifer Parsons. A worthy EP to pick up, it features material unreleased elsewhere and is a great reminder of Will Oldhams simple, yet endlessly satisfying, songs.
(Drag City, www.dragcity.com)
(Drag City)(Drag City, www.dragcity.com)