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SUPERWOLF
(Drag City)
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The new album from Louisville songwriter Bonnie "Prince" Billy (a/k/a Will Oldham of Palace Music and Palace Brothers fame) is a collaborative effort in which he wrote the lyrics and former Chavez/Zwan guitarist Matt Sweeney handled the music. It’s not an obvious pairing: Oldham is an enigmatic indie-folk auteur whose recordings tend toward the grainy lo-fi end of the spectrum; Sweeney has played with Billy Corgan. But Sweeney lays down sparse guitar melodies with a bit of Southern twang, and a number like "My Home Is the Sea" is consistent with much of Oldham’s previous material, slow-building minimal blues riffs laying the foundation for Oldham’s sardonic wit. Although the songs are somewhat more cohesive than typical Palace fare, Oldham’s shaky, frayed vocals seem right at home. And Sweeny takes the time to expand on bluesy guitar phrases that often meander into weaving guitar solos; "Blood Embrace," a chilling tale of infidelity, is made the more so by a bleak descending guitar riff. (Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney perform this Sunday, April 17, in the Museum of Fine Arts’ Remis Auditorium, 465 Huntington Avenue in Boston; call 617-369-3306.)
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