Bonnie "Prince" Billy
I See A Darkness

LA RECENSIONE

"I See A Darkness" is one of the most dramatic, moving, and profound albums one might come across.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy is the latest, and most fitting, incarnation of Will Oldham, who, after releasing a series of albums under the name Palace Music, presents this intense and dark work, which to call beautiful seems quite reductive.

It begins with A Minor Place, a heartfelt and vibrant ballad where a pleased sadness quickly settles in, an atmosphere the author will maintain throughout the album. Nomadic Revery is a sickly country tune, while the title track, which I dare to define as the most beautiful song written in the last 30 years, is a haunting, touching, deep, and passionate anthem to friendship.
Another Day Full Of Dread is typically Dylan-esque and has a wonderful lyric where Bonnie Prince declares he is inspired by terror and amused by fear.
The unease grows with Death To Everyone, a dark and decadent ballad where the lyrics leave no room for interpretation "buddy I'm not afraid to die, 'cause life is long and it's tremendous...and since we know an end will come it makes our living fun".
Knockturne, on the other hand, is a minimalist composition, a stunning lullaby for the soul, Madeleine-Mary is anxious and powerful, Song For A New Breed is pure delicacy and reminds, in its intensity, the most successful works of Neil Young.
The album closes with three great tracks: Today I Was An Evil One, Black, and Raining In Darling, a touching poem that ends this magnificent album with an unsuspected sense of hope.

"I See A Darkness" is a solemn hymn to darkness and everything it hides and can represent, but also to everything surrounding it because nothing exists unless its opposite also exists.