11

A Force To Be Reckoned With

The new single by the Bonnie Prince is an exercise in dreaminess, combining the calmness of Drake and the sentimentality of Conor Oberst at his most tranquil, it is a glorious song encapsulating soft articulation from Billy in a duet with beautiful and stunning female accompaniment, a voice behind which just reaches and reaches to such great heights you don't think you'll ever come down from there. For those of us who've always known of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy but have never really bothered to research the fella, this is a very good starting point, and it makes you wish you'd paid a bit more attention.

'New Partner' is an awesome B-side, with its refrain of "You were always on my mind" and its occasional Ray LaMontagne-like words and vocals in the verses, it builds up to quite a heartfelt crescendo and you can't help but dig it. The other two get a bit more power-driven, a bit more torque, a bit more horsepower, they're a bit more abstract though seemingly and don't quite communicate the same as the centrepieces.

Overall, 'Strange Form of Life' is a single worthy of note in this so far rather lacklustre year, go out, get in yer head and become a convert!