I See A Darkness (studio album) by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

I See A Darkness by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Year: 1999
Overall rank: 955th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 353 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1999 (24th)
Award Top albums of the 1990s (184th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (955th)
Product Details
Availability

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Bonnie 'Prince' Billy "I See A Darkness" vinyl in protected mailer! Will Oldham
Condition: New


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BONNIE PRINCE BILLY - I SEE A DARKNESS NEW VINYL
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Bonnie 'Prince' Billy I See a Darkness (Vinyl) 12" Album (UK IMPORT)
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Bonnie 'Prince' Billy bestography

I See A Darkness is ranked as the best album by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album bestography « Higher ranked This album (955th) Lower ranked (3,733rd) »
-I See A DarknessThe Letting Go

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NEEDTOBREATHE : The Caves World Tour
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I See A Darkness track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Rating: 86 (81 votes)Comments: 1
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Rating: 81 (58 votes)Comments: 0
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Rating: 84 (64 votes)Comments: 0
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Rating: 84 (67 votes)Comments: 0
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

I See A Darkness rankings

I See A Darkness collection

I See A Darkness ratings

Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 353 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 353 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
40/100
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03/12/2024 20:23 Proto  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 62442/100
 
45/100
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01/01/2024 19:43 Cheboygan74  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,14851/100
 
40/100
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12/08/2023 00:38 rafaelcalazans  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,00053/100
 
65/100
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10/27/2023 21:20 DaaN  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 45478/100
 
85/100
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10/08/2023 07:09 Banner  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 4,30479/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 79.0/100, a mean average of 77.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.3.

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I See A Darkness comments

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Rating:  
85/100
From 09/13/2022 22:40
There is a lot of quality on display here and Will Oldham really demonstrates how good he is at creating a unique and interesting album. The record is a fantastic length with there being no real filler on here as every song plays its role. Even the slower songs still help to build this dark atmosphere which helps draw the listener into the record. He backs this up with a stellar vocal performance that commands each song and adds a raw and gritty edge to his performance. His lyrics are fantastic and some of the songs on here are just a joy to be able to explore. Instrumentally, it can feel a little empty at times but for the majority of the listen it is full of life and helps to create a tense and suspenseful environment for us. The peak of this record for me is on the title track, A Minor Place and Death To Everyone which demonstrate exactly what makes this artist so special and they also have the best lyrics on the album. Overall, this release might go under the radar for most but it really deserves a lot more praise as it is fantastic.
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Rating:  
75/100
From 03/02/2021 20:39
One of those artists I truly respect especially for this album but nevertheless one which doesn't end up high in my album rankings and I can understand why: there are a lot of tracks which are not really highlights although they fit well on the album. But on the other hand there is of course that magnificent Black and also the title track.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 09/19/2017 10:08
Overly soft and emotional music gets on my nerves..
Vocals aren't very solid. Too fragile to my taste. Don't like the 2 voices singing together in an 'incoherent' way.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (2 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 08/13/2017 00:20
Cash's version of the title track introduced me to this masterpiece. Both Cash's version and the original are some of the best songs I've ever heard, and the whole album is devastating beauty
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/21/2017 00:24
One of my friend introduced me to this album and I'll never be able to thank him enough.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/29/2016 14:16
Like many not-so-savvy music listeners, I didn't become fully aware of Will Oldham's greatness as a songwriter until I heard Johnny Cash's devastating version of the title track from this album. That's partly because I had written off Oldham after being unimpressed with some of the deliberately out-of-tune cutesiness of his work with his various incarnations with "Palace" in the name (Palace, Palace Music, Palace Brothers, etc.). But this album is terrific. It still has some of the shaggy-dog earnestness of his earlier work, but with an added maturity and just plain better singing. The title track is desperately beautiful, of course, and so is the distortion-driven, seafaring dirge "Madeleine-Mary."
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 06/22/2016 16:52
This is a pretty depressing album but it can also be really beautiful at points, although the middle of this album gets a bit slow. Minor Place is my favourite song.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/04/2016 23:11
A delicate album about depression, whispered by an inspired Will Oldahm.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/20/2016 17:13
Arresting, funny, immediate, and powerful songwriting.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 09/24/2015 21:54
A solemn masterpiece
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