Rating: NN
At first glance, this studio collaboration between post-rock playas Tortoise and beard-folk guru Will Oldham (who prefers to be addressed as Bonnie “Prince” Billy) might seem like an unholy aesthetic alliance of dub and drone. Actually, these nerdlingers were cut from the same cable-knit polyester, and you can imagine the whole lot growing up dancing fancy to tunes by Kenny Loggins and Laura Branigan. In an attempt to make themselves seem less geeky, they’ve agreed to cover some “cooler” material for The Brave And The Bold, which means you get unbearably bland readings of Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road, Elton John’s Daniel and Melanie’s (Some Say) I Got Devil, as well as a version of Milton Nascimento’s Cravo E Canela so white that it makes Belle & Sebastian sound like the Angola Prison Choir. They should consider repackaging this as a comedy record.
