SKU: 84685351535

Bonnie Prince Billy - When We Are Inhuman

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Bonnie Prince Billy - When We Are InhumanJulius Eastman and Will Oldham are kindred spirits. Self styled provocateurs, they have positioned themselves on the outskirts of distinct traditions, pulling all manners of musical influence towards their outr stance. Eastman, who passed away in 1990 and whose work is experiencing a necessary revival, harnessed the vocabulary of minimalism for joyfully insurgent ends; Oldham's songwriting regularly conjures a pantheon that Greil Marcus called "the

Julius Eastman and Will Oldham are kindred spirits. Self-styled provocateurs, they have positioned themselves on the outskirts of distinct traditions, pulling all manners of musical influence towards their outré stance. Eastman, who passed away in 1990 and whose work is experiencing a necessary revival, harnessed the vocabulary of minimalism for joyfully insurgent ends; Oldham's songwriting regularly conjures a pantheon that Greil Marcus called "the old, weird America." Last spring, these two visionaries collided at Cincinnati's MusicNOW Festival, and any distance between them was mediated by curator Bryce Dessner and ensemble Eighth Blackbird. On this album, woven between new arrangements of Oldham's cryptic songs and Eastman's iconic "Stay on It" are several of Dessner's "Murder Ballades," works that tease out the homicidal strain of old folk tunes. In "Down in the Willow Garden," a classic Appalachian tune, Oldham sings bleary-eyed atop harshly twanging timbres; "Underneath the Floorboards" takes inspiration from a recent murderous classic by Sufjan Stevens. These explorations of violence are natural fits for Oldham, who has always examined the interstices between intimacy and cruelty. Four of his songs appear here in new, sumptuous arrangements by pianist Lisa Kaplan. In Cincinnati, Oldham compared working with Eighth Blackbird to becoming acquainted with a "haunted house," continually returning to the same spot and observing how his fear was interlaced with a charged energy. The arrangements push Oldham's voice to new heights, as in the ecstatic refrain of "New Partner" or the lithe polyrhythms of "Beast for Thee." On "One with the Birds" and "When Thy Song," shimmering introductions deploy avant-garde effects as a window into Oldham's bleak, poignant sound world. Musicologist Matthew Mendez has identified the web of influences on Eastman's "Stay on It": a post-Stonewall queer subjectivity, which the composer-performer flaunted; disco hits by Diana Ross, to which Eastman regularly danced at a Buffalo gay bar; and 1970s minimalism, via Eastman's emphasis on what he called not "the pulse" but "the beat." "Stay on It" was worked out in performance in the '70s, and no complete score exists. This live rendition, based on archival recordings, sharpens the edges of Eastman's music while still capturing it's anarchic ideal. Oldham's repetitions of "Stay on it" are subversively subdued, and Dessner's guitar inserts a punch of the urbane. The riff mutates, changes, fades away, returns triumphantly. It overpowers and is overpowered. Boundaries between musicians and audience dissolve-in concert, percussionist Matthew Duvall ran off the stage to make a surround-sound ruckus-addressing the broader political hierarchies that Eastman sought to triumphantly topple. The party is political. - Will Robin

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SKU: 84685351535

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4.2 ★★★★★
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Brittni Shafer
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 4
One of us
Format: Kindle
Alexandra is literally one of us. She's just lucky her fictional men became a reality hahaha. This was a good start to what I know is going to be a great series. This was fast paced and kept me entertained. Im ready for the chaos to slow down a little bit so we can get more into the character development. There's so much happening, I feel like we hardly know anything about anyone BUT that's why this is a series so let's get to the next one!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2025
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Courtney
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
Love this!
Format: Kindle
So far I'm loving this series! The FMC is tough and sweet and I love her MMCs. Its a very interesting story so far. On to book 2!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
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Nina DuBois
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 3
Alex and her monsters
Format: Kindle
A somewhat intriguing story that did drag a little despite giving us some world building. The explanations just took too long even if we don’t get the full picture yet. I will say the story does have some humor and is very hot. I may pick up the second book at some point.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023
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Chey3995
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
Interesting Monster Academy
Format: Kindle
Alexandra is tired of being alone, using writing to escape from her reality. But when her monster protectors in her writing come to life, her life is going to become a little more exciting than she ever anticipated. This was a fun take on an academy romance. We have two different realities, one for the real world and one for the supernatural world. I loved the Dark Imaginarium Academy and the intrigue it held throughout the story. The plot was fun and the characters were written beautifully. Alexandra, Elwin, Kylo and Lucien were great characters and have the best out of every relationship dynamic. My heart does belong to Lucien, because who doesn't love a murderous psycho willing to kill anyone who hurts you? I wish there was a little more intrigue to the plot itself. The story was fun to read and well written, but it's still a straightforward Academy romance. I would've liked to see something that made the story really stand out more.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022
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Andraya
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 4
Great
Format: Kindle
What a great book. I loved the ending of the book. At first I wasnt too sure about it but now I want to keep reading it.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2025

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