Wikipedia
The Letting Go
The Letting Go is a 2006 studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy. It was released on Drag City.
| The Letting Go | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 19, 2006 | |||
| Studio | Reykjavík, Iceland | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:09 | |||
| Label | Drag City | |||
| Producer | Valgeir Sigurðsson | |||
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The album was recorded in Reykjavík, Iceland and produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson, who is known for his work with the Icelandic artist Björk. The arrangement was done by Nico Muhly. Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables also sings on the album.
The album's title comes from the last lines of the Emily Dickinson poem that starts "After a Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes."[2]
This is the hour of lead
Remembered if outlived,
As freezing persons recollect the snow,
First chill, then stupor, then the letting go.
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [4] |
| The A.V. Club | A[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| The Independent | [8] |
| Mojo | [9] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[10] |
| Q | [11] |
| Spin | [12] |
| Uncut | [13] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Letting Go received an average score of 84% based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]
Pitchfork placed The Letting Go at number 195 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[14]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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" (bonus track on some versions) | 5:14 |
Personnel edit
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Emmett Kelly – guitar
- Dawn McCarthy – singing
- Paul Oldham – bass
- Valgeir Sigurðsson – recording, mixing
- Jim White – drums
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 29 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] | 90 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] | 66 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[18] | 100 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] | 29 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 56 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 70 |
| US Billboard 200[22] | 194 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[23] | 8 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[24] | 17 |
| US Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[25] | 10 |
References edit
- ^ Pitchfork Staff (October 2, 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
Arranged by Nico Muhly, who is quickly becoming indie rock's unofficial house composer, they signal the album's feeling of grave finality...
- ^ Hepburn, Peter (September 22, 2006). . Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on February 7, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
- ^ a b "Reviews for The Letting Go by Bonnie "Prince" Billy". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ Bush, John. "The Letting Go – Bonnie "Prince" Billy". AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
- ^ Murray, Noel (September 19, 2006). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 15, 2006). . Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (September 15, 2006). "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, The Letting Go". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ Gill, Andy (September 15, 2006). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go (Domino)". The Independent.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go". Mojo (155): 102. October 2006.
- ^ LeMay, Matt (September 18, 2006). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go". Q (243): 125. October 2006.
- ^ Modell, Josh (October 2006). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go". Spin. 22 (10): 94. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go". Uncut (113): 102. October 2006.
- ^ Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Bonnie %22Prince%22 Billy – The Letting Go" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Bonnie %22Prince%22 Billy – The Letting Go" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bonnie %22Prince%22 Billy – The Letting Go" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Bonnie %22Prince%22 Billy – The Letting Go". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bonnie %22Prince%22 Billy – The Letting Go". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bonnie %22Prince%22 Billy – The Letting Go". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Bonnie Prince Billy". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Tastemaker Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
External links edit
- The Letting Go at Discogs (list of releases)