Palace Songs
HOPE
(LP)
Domino Recording / ReWigLp82
12 Inch
HOPE
Side
BPM
Tracklist
Agnes, Queen of Sorrow
Untitled
Winter Lady
Christmastime in the Mountains
All gone, All gone
Werners last blues to Blockbuster
The mini album Hope was another change in sound, and featured arrangements by Sean O Hagan, then of the High Llamas. Featuring six songs including a cover of Leonard Cohens >Winter Lady<, Oldhams voice is set in a reflective and soft-hued sound throughout.
The use of piano as a lead instrument suggest a parlour-song atmosphere, something which is enhanced by Oldham’s frequent repetition of lines in the lyrics, which also expand on his own brand of surrealism. On "Untitled" Oldham sings "Did you like the cake? some of it was nice" as though the importance of the cake is of a more far-reaching consequence than the cake and anyone who may be eating it realises.[info from domino]