Lost Blues And Other Songs

Melody Maker - "...And so, quietly and spectrally, like a daguerreotype of the unseen or hymns in language ancient and merciless, these songs startle and dazzle like the coming of electricity....It's the sound of the body weary as dust, but of the soul gazing on treasures untold." Rolling Stone - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...superior examples of subtle hearbreak....proves that whatever else Oldham may be, he still isn't predictable..." Q - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Drawing on [Will] Oldham's already considerable oeuvre- LOST BLUES...runs the gamut of the man's visceral obsessions....with a novelist's eye for detail and the Louvin Brothers' ear for a melancholic refrain..." Option - "...there's no denying that the cumulative weight of these little projects form the most diverse and interesting--and solid--Palace record yet." Entertainment Weekly - "...On these early singles, outtakes, and oddities, the music consistently underlines Oldham's connection to the American-gothic traditions he invokes." - Rating: B+ Rolling Stone (6/12/97, p.118) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...superior examples of subtle hearbreak....proves that whatever else Oldham may be, he still isn't predictable..." Q (5/97, p.142) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Drawing on [Will] Oldham's already considerable oeuvre- LOST BLUES...runs the gamut of the man's visceral obsessions....with a novelist's eye for detail and the Louvin Brothers' ear for a melancholic refrain..." Melody Maker (3/22/97, p.51) - "...And so, quietly and spectrally, like a daguerreotype of the unseen or hymns in language ancient and merciless, these songs startle and dazzle like the coming of electricity....It's the sound of the body weary as dust, but of the soul gazing on treasures untold." Entertainment Weekly (5/2/97, p.61) - "...On these early singles, outtakes, and oddities, the music consistently underlines Oldham's connection to the American-gothic traditions he invokes." - Rating: B+ Option (7-8/97, p.120-121) - "...there's no denying that the cumulative weight of these little projects form the most diverse and interesting--and solid--Palace record yet."

By 1997, Will Oldham was ready to cast off the Palace mantle and pursue a solo career, but not before leaving fans with this unforgettable memento. LOST BLUES is basically a collection of b-sides and alternate versions of Palace songs, but instead of a being a batch of leftovers, it's as definitive as the "best-of" collection Oldham is far too iconoclastic to ever consider.
The early single "Ohio River Boat Song" represents the band's tradition-minded beginnings. The Mekons-penned "Horses" stands as a testament to Palace's development into an honest-to-goodness rock band. "West Palm Beach" and "Gulf Shores" shared sides of a later 45, and they document Oldham's rise to lo-fi folk-rock poet king, occupying a unique place in the '90s indie-rock world. LOST BLUES is a perfect legacy for a band too mercurial to pin down and too important to forget.|