Palace Brothers - You Will Miss Me When I Burn
Bittersweet and minimalistic. Nice... but sad.
Continuing on my binge of singer/songwriter based folk music, I came across this gem from back in the 90s. Palace Brothers is one of the earlier projects of Will Oldham, who went on to release several other records under different monikers, many reaching critical acclaim. Days In The Wake is one of his earlier albums, exhibiting a display of quiet acoustic tracks accompanied by clever lyrical work.
The strongest impression the album gives is delivered through a certain delicateness in Will’s voice, often trembling and sometimes warbling to a point where it fetters out. Combined with some of the lyrics, the music can be described as bittersweet. He uses interesting wordplay with his lyrics, delivered as if they were out of a children’s book whilst carrying adult themes such as loneliness, pain, death and loss. That vocal delicateness complements both the childish and adult sides to the wordplay, making the more childish lyrics sound as if they were from a nursery rhyme while the more adult lyrics purvey a sense of shattered innocence and damage. The acoustic work isn’t anything too complex, but it complements the music nicely and gives each song a very relaxing tone.
This won’t be an album that strikes you as amazing right away. Some of the wordplay is a little strange, and until you really begin to listen to what’s going on in each song, you probably won’t draw huge enjoyment from it. Trust me on this one though, it’s a fantastic album which is both calming yet slightly neurotic at the same time, and will do the trick when you’re having a bit of down time at home.
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