Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See a Darkness

After abandoning the Palace moniker for a straight-up solo career, Will Oldham seemed to lose his focus a bit, but rechristened as Bonnie Prince Billy, he's regained it in spades.

Where his previous solo efforts sounded thrown-together and lacked real songcraft, "I See A Darkness" is probably Oldham's most consistent, rewarding batch of songs since the Palace Brothers 93 debut. For once, the ever-elusive Oldham sounds like he's making a genuine effort to communicate - the relatively straightforward (but still poetic) lyrics, nicely arranged (but still lo-fi) sonic backdrops, and song structures with hummable (!) choruses are all unprecedented and highly agreeable developments. The titular darkness pervades much of the album, but there's an underlying warmth that shines through, making this an emotionally well-balanced effort.