Palace - Where to start?

[maroonwalrus]

With regards to Will Oldham/Palace/Palace Songs/Palace Brothers/Bonnie "Prince" Billy:

Where's a good place to start with this guy?

He's definitely prolific, and it seems (from reviews that I've read) that he's had his share of good albums and singles, but I have no idea where to begin.

Also -- if I've started and wanted to proceed further, where would you recommend I go next?

[Miss Tasty Princess]

I love Viva Last Blues. I've got Days in the Wake but aside from the first track, "You Will Miss Me When I Burn," I'm not wild about it. I had another but I sold it so I guess I really didn't care for it at all.

[vi5]

I'll admit this sub-genre is a blur to me. I have trouble telling the difference between the different band-named indie rock rootsy singer songwriters.

Palace and the various namesakes
The Mountain Goats
Iron and Wine
Smog (not so folky but you know what I mean)
Cat Power

I can appreciate it all on some level but after a certain point its a lot of sameness to me.

[vesper]

Cat Power should be easy to distinguish for obvious reasons.

[vi5]

Heheh...I'm all about equal rights. The earnest acoustic indie folk genre knows no gender, race, or religion.

And Chan actually sounds sometimes more powerful than her male counterparts.

[tinobeat]

See, I don't necessarily see The Mountain Goats in that crew, just cos Darnielle doesn't seem like he's going for some kind of country-ish or folky vibe. He seems like a big geek with an acoustic guitar and an 800 on his SAT verbal. It doesn't have the affected quality that the others on your list do...

[johansen smith]

pick up Viva Last Blues, then mosey on down to Papa M and Songs: Ohia albums.

[fuzztony]

I've been spinning Bonnie Prince Billy's I See A Darkness album for 3 and a half years and it never gets old. Essential in a way that his other recordings don't seem to be (for me anyway).

I think it helps to have a thing for great singer-songwriters otherwise maybe it could miss the mark. I mean, I'm a Dylan, Young, Cohen, Mitchell, Cave, Nilsson (and on and on) nut so it all works.