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Viva Last Blues

The Palace Music record recorded by Steve Albini, home of New Partner.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy, 1995

Released
1995
Label
Drag City

The third album by Will Oldham came out on Drag City in 1995 under the name Palace Music, with Oldham on vocals and guitar and Steve Albini recording. The band was credited by name: Liam Hayes on piano and organ, Jason Loewenstein on drums and extra vocals, Oldham's brother Ned on bass, slide guitar and extra vocals, and Bryan Rich on lead guitar. It was the first Palace record under that name after two as Palace Brothers.

Matt LeMay wrote in Pitchfork's list of the 1990s, where it is number 60, that Albini left every instrument crisp and distinct and that the songs sound timeless. Stereogum called it the first masterpiece and ranked it second among his albums, and Blender placed it at number 98 on its 2007 list of the greatest indie-rock albums. The standout is New Partner.

Track listing

  1. More Brother Rides3:19
  2. Viva Ultra3:19
  3. The Brute Choir2:43
  4. The Mountain Low2:45
  5. Tonight's Decision (And Hereafter)4:11
  6. Work Hard / Play Hard2:50
  7. New Partner3:54
  8. Cat's Blues3:19
  9. We All, Us Three, Will Ride2:57
  10. Old Jerusalem2:16

Personnel

More from Bonnie "Prince" Billy

I See a Darkness (1999), Ease Down the Road (2001), Master and Everyone (2003), The Letting Go (2006)

Sources

  1. Viva Last Blues, Wikipedia
  2. The Top 100 Albums of the 1990s, Pitchfork (2003)
  3. Will Oldham Albums From Worst To Best, Stereogum (2013-05-10)
  4. Bonnie "Prince" Billy: best albums, a beginner's guide, Treble
  5. There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You, Wikipedia
  6. Days in the Wake, Wikipedia
  7. Arise Therefore, Wikipedia