Beware

Whimsical, sometimes moody alt-folk/ alt-country. The ever-brilliant Will Oldham (Palace stuff, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and a thousand other things), in his most accessible incarnation. This album is much more country, upbeat, and put together than a lot of his stuff, so may appeal to a greater audience, but his classic sense of humor and often morose side are still there. Includes a wide array of instrumentation (violin, pedal steel, trumpet, sax, and beyond) as well as plenty of twangy guitar and Oldham’s charmingly raw voice. Play this record… you won’t be sorry. No FCCs. Recommended tracks: 1, 6, 8, 11.

1. Country anthem, with nice vocal melodies (almost Cat Stevens-y). Mostly upbeat, with occasional darker turns. [4:02]
2. Bittersweet track, great pedal steel (and… marimbas?). [3:43]
3. Grungy guitar, darker track. Haunting, semi-ironic background vocals. [3:54]
4. Lovely song, with nice vocal harmonies and mandolin. [3:02]
5. Hymn-like track… very sparing instrumentation. Rather stirring and almost eerie. [3:27]
6. Fun, very country track. Hand claps. [3:10]
7. Beautiful meditative and gloomy track. [2:55]
8. Very sweet love song. Gorgeous vocal harmonies and instrumentation. Play while sitting on the porch, sipping lemonade, and watching the stars rise on a balmy night. [4:26]
9. Whimsical, bluesy track. [3:16]
10. Brooding song, with little instrumentation. Pretty dang dark (if you’re into that kind of thing…) [3:20]
11. Country-funk. Flute. More fun than cow tipping! [2:21]
12. Pretty straightforward midtemp country song (except for the random bit with the British dude!). [3:45]
13. Swirling, meditative track. Wicked flute solo! [4:49]