The Letting Go

The Letting Go
Studio album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Released 19 September 2006
Recorded Reykjavík, Iceland
Genre Alt-Country, folk rock
Label USA Drag City
UK Domino
Producer Valgeir Sigurðsson
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy chronology
Sings Greatest Palace Music
(2004)		 The Letting Go
(2006)		 Ask Forgiveness
(2007)

The Letting Go is a 2006 album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. It was recorded in Reykjavík, Iceland and produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson, who is known for his work with the Icelandic artist Björk. This album's arrangement was done by Nico Muhly. Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables also sings on the album.

The album's name comes from the last lines of the Emily Dickinson poem that starts "After a Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes." [1]

This is the hour of lead
 Remembered if outlived,
As freezing persons recollect the snow,
First chill, then stupor, then the letting go.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Pitchfork Media (8.2/10) [3]

The music review online magazine Pitchfork Media placed The Letting Go at number 195 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[4]

Track listing

  1. "Love Comes to Me" – 4:31
  2. "Strange Form of Life" – 3:46
  3. "Wai" – 3:37
  4. "Cursed Sleep" – 5:35
  5. "No Bad News" – 4:45
  6. "Cold & Wet" – 2:21
  7. "Big Friday" – 2:43
  8. "Lay and Love" – 3:50
  9. "The Seedling" – 4:36
  10. "Then the Letting Go" – 5:19
  11. "God's Small Song" – 4:05
  12. "I Called You Back" – 7:53
  13. "Ebb Tide" – 5:14 (hidden track). Bonus track on some versions, "Untitled" on some versions.

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Hepburn, Peter (September 22, 2006). "Bonnie Prince Billy: The Letting Go". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20070207100859/http://www.cokemachineglow.com/reviews/bpb_thelettinggo2006.html. Retrieved 2007-05-10. 
  2. ^ The Letting Go at Allmusic
  3. ^ Pitchfork Review
  4. ^ Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7706-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-200-151/. Retrieved October 1, 2009. 
Will Oldham (Palace / Palace Songs / Palace Music / Palace Brothers / Bonnie 'Prince' Billy)
Studio albums
There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993) · Days in the Wake (1994) · Viva Last Blues (1995) · Arise Therefore (1996) · Joya (1997) · I See a Darkness (1999) · Ode Music (2000) · Ease Down the Road (2001) · Master and Everyone (2003) · Sings Greatest Palace Music (2004) · Superwolf (2005) · The Brave and the Bold (2006) · The Letting Go (2006) · Wai Notes (2007) · Lie Down in the Light (2008) · Beware (2009) · The Wonder Show of the World (2010) · Wolfroy Goes to Town (2011)
Live albums
Get the Fuck on Jolly Live (2001) · Summer in the Southeast (2005) · Wilding in the West (2008) · Is It The Sea? (2008)
EPs
Goat Songs (1993) · An Arrow Through the Bitch (1994) · Hope (1994) · The Mountain (1995) · Songs Put Together For (The Broken Giant) (1996) · Western Music (1997) · Black/Rich Music (1998) · Blue Lotus Feet (1998) · Dream of a Drunk Black Southern Eagle (1999) · More Revery (live version) (2000) · All Most Heaven (2000) · Get on Jolly (2000) · More Revery (studio version) (2001) · Amalgamated Sons of Rest (2002) · Slitch Music (2002) · Seafarers Music (2004) · Pebbles and Ripples (2004) · I Gave You (2005) · Strange Form of Life (2007) · Ask Forgiveness (2007) · Among The Gold (2009)
Compilations
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