Will Oldham wants us to be aware of structure, of dualism and symmetry. His new album, We Are Together Again, released under his Bonnie “Prince” Billy moniker, opens with ‘Why Is the Lion?’ and closes with ‘Bride of the Lion’. The two iterations of the same song share similar (but subtly adjusted) lyrics, structured as a series of questions about fear, metaphysical in nature, to which the answer is difficult to fathom but seems to involve love at both personal and infinite levels. ‘Why is the Lion?’ is slow, discursive, easy on the ear, decorated by Jacob Duncan’s flute. It approaches the realm of baroque folk, like some of Donovan’s work with flautist Harold McNair, but where Donovan was lighthearted even at his most melancholic moments, Oldham admits…

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