Taken from his latest album ‘I Made a Place’, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy has shared a video for his latest single “This is Far From Over“. In his review of the album on Folk Radio, Bob Fish noted how even in the albums brightest moments there are existential messages that could be easy to miss:
“Amidst the strains of a simple acoustic guitar, Far From Over offers, ‘Shorelines gone and maps destroyed, livelihoods dissolved and void. Entire languages unheard and still it’s far from over.’ Man may not be around but the earth will go on.” He concludes “Under the guise of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Will Oldham has crafted a disc that sounds comfortable and warm while dealing with the uncertainty of what lies ahead. The here and now is all we have at the end of the day, and that’s more than enough.”
The video itself features longtime Bonny co-conspirator Olivia Owens Wyatt in a wealth of images from her solo transpacific crossing aboard a 34-ft sailboat, as she commands the craft and the surrounding landscape with a steady hand while producing effervescent visuals of the ride. This is the spirit we will need.
The accompanying press says: It might hinge on your definition of ‘good’…the latest single from I Made A Place, Bonnie strips down and sings through a terse-set jaw of our next of kin, making their way through the flood-ravaged world that’s coming once all our traditional homelands have vanished beneath the tide. This may sound grim, but our Bonnie looks forward to this time as an opportunity for future generations to carry on as they sail the endless sea, dynamically living the next phase of life on earth to the best of their abilities. A flute solo adds sweet fairy-dust to this apocalyptic, yet unabashedly optimistic tune. We call that all KINDS of good.
They also share some this about the b-side: One new Bonnie song is a cause for celebration, what do we do with two? Keep flipping! The B-side is a sweet reiteration of The Carpenters‘ wedding-anthem “We’ve Only Just Begun”, echoing the message of the A-side in just the kind of weird way that only the Bonnie “Prince” is capable of anymore. Wanna hear it? Take this island in the streaming and shove it! It’s only available for purchase, either as digital download or via an actual 7″ single made of wax and guaranteed to float on top of the water with you.
The 7″ “This Is Far From Over”/“We’ve Only Just Begun” is out on 6TH MARCH 2020
Enough said, so go and pre-order your copy today via: https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/bonnie-prince-billy/this-is-far-from-over/exclusive-7
Order the album here: https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/bonnie-prince-billy/i-made-a-place/all
BONNIE ON TOUR WITH JONATHAN RICHMAN
3/5 @ Buskirk-Chumley in Bloomington, IN*
3/6 @ Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, OH*
3/7 @ Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC*
3/8 @ Union Transfer in Philadelphia, PA*
3/9 @ Town Hall in New York, NY*
3/11 @ College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT*
3/12 @ Columbus Theatre in Providence, RI*
3/13 @ State Theatre in Portland, ME*
3/14 @ Academy of Music in Northampton, MA*
*All dates billed as “Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Emmett Kelly
Photo Credit: Christian Hansen