Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Purple Bird (2025)
WEB FLAC (Tracks) 233 MB | Cover | 43:36 | MP3 CBR 320 kbps | 102 MB
Rock, Alternative, Indie | Label: No Quarter
Even early in the year, it's safe to say Will Oldham has made what will surely be one of the best country records of 2025. Recorded in Nashville, The Purple Bird was produced by David "Ferg" Ferguson (press materials note it's only the second time in his career that Oldham has officially worked with another producer), who engineered Johnny Cash's 2000 cover of Bonnie "Prince" Billy's "I See a Darkness"—and who told Oldham this time around, "I don't wanna do a country record, just do your shit, Will." As it turns out, Oldham's latest shit is country. Co-written with Tommy Prine, "Tonight With the Dogs I'm Sleeping" would've been a hit in another era. Loaded with jug-band mischief—including comedic horns and woozy fiddle—it's as laidback as can be and full of fun wordplay, so it feels almost like a tribute to Tommy's dad, the late Americana icon John Prine: "Sitting at the bar with a drink or two/ Telephone rings and it's you know who/ You know who is gonna get his ass chewed tonight.