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Musical chameleon Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Tortoise - Chicago's kings of all things instrumentally ambient - join forces for an eclectic covers collection.

The Brave & The Bold by Tortoise & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

Separately and together the artists behind this release have been involved in some of the most exciting and adventurous music of the past decade. In 1993 both the majority of these players – as Tortoise – and Will Oldham (for Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is that same man) as a member of The Palace Brothers, PALACE and Palace Music – released their first 7" records.

Collaboration

As unimaginable as it might seem now to fans of all those bands, it would have seemed impossible back then to think of these two collective groups appearing on a split album, let alone collaborating on a shared project. No-one (we reckon) would have ever imagined that if they had such a collaboration in their collective futures, that it would turn out to be a playful covers collection, taking in mainstream artists and tracks galore!

For - as unimaginable as that might have seemed a few years back - that’s precisely what has happened. Innovators and iconoclasts both – the band called Tortoise and the ‘Prince’ have each retained a level of independence and integrity in their recorded and live work that is reserved for relatively few artists in today’s music marketplace.

This is – however – not the first time some of these players have come together. Many of the members of Tortoise recorded with the ‘Bonnie’ Prince (back at the start of his career, when he was still being plain old ‘Will Oldham’) and a couple of the guys that would end up in Tortoise were still filling places in the band known only as Slint.

Chicago

"On paper, musical chameleon Will Oldham - here utilising his Bonnie 'Prince' Billy alias - is the perfect foil for Chicago instrumental rock act Tortoise, which has been in a bit of a creative rut of late. And indeed, this all-covers album gets off to a tremendous start with a deliriously peppy romp through...Cravo E Canela and an ominous, starkly pretty version of Springsteen's Thunder Road. Elsewhere, distorted bass and textured ambience reinforce the sincerity of Elton John's Daniel, while a cover of Devo's That's Pep is appropriately off-kilter. More often than not, Oldham's signature vocalizing keeps Tortoise from falling back on old sonic tricks." – US Billboard Magazine

The full track listing for The Brave & The Bold shapes up like this:

1. Cravo E Canela. A Milton Silva/ Campos Nascimento/Ronaldo Ribero Bastos number gets the full treatment to open the long-player.

2. Thunder Road. A Bruce Springsteen number gets the treatment for the second number. Claire Allfree in Metro said the tune had been: "...recast with a stark, disenchanted beauty..."

3. It's Expected I'm Gone. A Mike Watt composition gets the remodeling touch.

4. Daniel. Another unusual choice perhaps – a song from Elton John and Bernie Taupin, here transformed into rather a new animal altogether.

5. Love Is Love. Lungfish reach a wider audience via the Prince’s manipulations.

6. Pancho. A David Hanner tune originally performed by Don Williams (and familiar to most as the song from the film The Cisco Kid). Majestically reworked here.

7. That's Pep. A mini modern pop masterpiece from the pen of the mighty Devo – courtesy of that band’s songwriter Mark Allen Mothersbaugh.

8. Some Say (I Got Devil). Melanie Safka’s soulful number, reworked in distinctive style.

9. Cavalry Cross. From the pen of Richard Thompson (former Fairport Convention guitar maestro – and an immensely prolific songwriter and recording artist since leaving that fold) this is less folksy than his version. More mournful, if that’s possible, for such darkly Biblical subject matter!

10. On My Own. Originally recorded by the oddly named 'Quix*o*tic'. Metro's Claire Allfree again: "(the) experimental stuff is more hit than miss, but you'd be a fool to let that put you off."

Together they’ve managed to bash out an eclectic collection of cover versions that could be the most interesting collection of other people’s songs since Matador released Cat Powers’ The Covers Record a couple of years ago. With The Brave & The Bold the players have crafted a set of recordings that are as fun as they are groundbreaking – fusing Tortoises’ trademark electronica-style ambience with Will Oldham’s rough around the edges alt. country charm. A winner.

Tortoise - a selected discography:

Tortoise (1994)
Millions Now Living Will Never Die - CD only
Standards - CD only (2001)
It's All Around You - CD only (2004)
The Brave & The Bold (with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) - CD & LP Domino (2006)

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – a selected discography:

I See A Darkness - CD & LP Domino (1999)
Ease Down The Road – CD & LP Domino (2001)
Sings Greatest Palace Music - CD & LP Domino
Master & Everyone – CD & LP Domino (2003)
Superwolf - CD Domino (2005)
Summer In The Southwest - CD & LP Sea Note (2005)
The Brave & The Bold (with Tortoise) - CD & LP Domino (2006)

Palace/Palace Songs/The Palace Brothers

Ohio River Boat Song - 7" single Drag City (1993)
The Mountain Low
Hope EP – CD Drag City (1994)
Days In The Wake – CD Drag City (1994)
There Is No-One What Will Take Care Of You – CD Drag City (1993)
Viva Last Blues - CD & LP Drag City/Domino (1995)
Lost Blues and Other Songs - CD & LP Drag City/Palace Records (1997)

Will Oldham

Arise Therefore (limited edition came with extra mini album: (Songs Put Together for) The Broken Giant - now available separately as Black/Rich Music) on Drag City
Joya CD Domino (1997)
Guarapero - Lost Blues Vol. 2
Ode Music – CD & 12” Drag City (2000)
Amalgamated Sons Of Rest (Will Oldham, Jason Molina and Alasdair Roberts) – untitled one sided etched 12" - CD (2002)
Seafarers Music - CD & 12" mini album Drag City
Superwolf (with Mat Sweeney) - CD & LP (2005)

The Brave & The Bold is out now on Domino, as both a vinyl LP (WIGLP167) and CD (WIGCD167).

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