The Wonder Show of the World

Bonnie “Prince” Billy (a.k.a. Will Oldham) continues to find new ground within the limits of simple, acoustic music. Oldham’s voice is its own idiosyncratic wonder and his lyrics create elliptical puzzles that are part allegory, part interior monologue, part storytelling. With Emmett Kelly supplying additional guitar, Oldham delivers his best collection of raw minimalism since *Master and Everyone*. Drums occasionally surface (“Troublesome Houses,” “That’s What Our Love Is”), but it’s with the same less-is-more approach. It’s best to not interpret these songs, but to let each listener come to his or her own decisions. What can be appreciated without destroying the mystery is the emphasis on solid, basic melodies that could be decades old. Oldham is more than a folk musician and tracks such as “Someone Coming Through,” “Merciless and Great” and “Where Wind Blows” need to be experienced to understand the sublime and naturally surreal world created here. As Bonnie “Prince’ Billy, Oldham, often with little more than an acoustic guitar, continues to make among the most singular and powerful recordings of this modern era.