Bonnie Prince Billy - the cross, 2016

"When it first appeared on Prince's 1987 opus, "The Cross" stood out as a direct expression of gospel-soul, but with a Purple imprimatur all over it. The song's words were classic and timeless, pointing to a particular cross-section of tradition — African-American and Christian, with an awareness of the urban rings of hell first described in hymn by Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. Yet the instrumentation was led by a metallic electric guitar and sitar that pulled the song out of a well-defined period and idea. Instead, it reached into something psychedelic, cosmically and spiritually fulfilling, and yet also ungrounded — scriptures as ecstatic metaphor more than text. No denomination or religiosity; just a hint of eternal truth."

Bonnie Prince Billy - i see a darkness, 1999

"Mojo deemed it a "modern classic" and the twentieth best album released during the magazine's lifetime. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die."

Bonnie Prince Billy - crazy blue bells, 2023

"Within the resplendent symphony of melodies, emerges Sara Louise Callaway's delicate yet mighty violin, its enchanting presence painting the air with its ephemeral strokes. Raw-voiced, as if back from the wars, the Prince leads the orchestral reverie of voices and strings that envision another tomorrow."

Bonnie Prince Billy - jolly one two fifteen, 2016

"Maybe it’s just me, but I think Will Oldham is best when he is at his most morose and laden with doom. Sometimes the figure that he cuts is so mournful it’s harrowing to listen to. The power of his lonesome balladry is often overwhelming. Other times it is as though he is singing his laments to himself; looking deep into his soul. The finger-picked acoustic arrangement of ‘Stable Will’ embodies all of these things perfectly. But there are other, jollier tunes; ‘Jolly One (2-15)’ and ‘Jolly Five, nominally at least. And ‘Arise Therefore’ sounds more hopeful, buoyant and polished than its original Palace incarnation."

Tortoise And Bonnie Prince Billy - the calvary cross cover, 2006

"The Calvary Cross or “Cross’ of Cal’vary” is a cross with steps beneath it, apparently a representation of the structure on which Jesus was crucified. It is used as an emblem to Christianity. This could give the song a Christian meaning but the pale lady with her green eye makes me thing that the cross is more a symbol of dying or maybe sacrificing everything for something or someone."

Bonnie Prince Billy - the houseboat o how i enjoy the light, 2016

"There’s a song on there that for some reason, when I was at the BBC, I called it “The Houseboat,” and then we recorded it, and now it’s called “O How I Enjoy the Light.” As we perform songs in different ways I completely lose track of how the audience might have a relationship with the recording. I forget how lyrics or phrasings might get changed, or the key oftentimes gets changed."

Bonnie Prince Billy - when thy song flows through me, 2016

"when I was a kid, i loved the brontasauraus. then they took it away."

Bonnie Prince Billy - horses, 1997

"An homage to truckers (but not in the way Mark E. Smith would have done it), Horses isn’t my favourite Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy song, but it’s as good a place as any to start."

Bonnie Prince Billy - in good faith, 2020

"Oldham first performed and recorded under various permutations of the Palace name, including Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace Music, and simply Palace. Regarding the name changes during this period (1993–1997), Oldham said: 'I guess the idea is that when you have a name of a group or an artist, then you expect that the next record, if it has the same name, should be the same group of people playing on it. And I just thought we were making a different kind of record each time, with different people, and different themes, and different sounds. So I thought it was important to call it something different so that people would be aware of the differences.' Will stated in a 1995 interview with KCRW that the name Palace Flophouse was inspired by reading John Steinbeck's Cannery Row."

Bonnie Prince Billy And Matt Sweeney - i gave you, 2005

"No matter your tastes, somewhere there's a Will Oldham record waiting just for you: Superwolf sees Oldham's Bonnie "Prince" Billy incarnation pairing with Chavez guitarist Matt Sweeney to crank out grim, skeletal gothic folk that's alternately absurd and heartbreaking. For the most part, Superwolf is so bare-boned it feels spontaneous, looping around a stark guitar melody or a bit of nonsensical wordplay, and eventually oozing into something so weird and beautiful it's almost hard to hear."

Bonnie Prince Billy - i see a darkness live, 2012

"Oldham exploits a salty freedom and an epicurean brio; on this album, his least "country," he was a bulimic Falstaff milking medieval dread/mirth. Sung sans-warble, these non-sequiturial folk anthems, seasoned with Robotussin Skynyrd licks, confirmed that Oldham is indie's detached and brilliant DeNiro."