13. The Wonder Show of the World (2010)

If you’re wondering why Oldham goes full-bro on songs like “The Sounds Are Always Begging” (I can just picture him, rail-thin and shaggy bearded, playing it for a girl in his dorm room) it’s probably because he didn’t write the music, only the lyrics. Emmett Kelly of the Cairo King supplies the chords for Oldham’s warbling words. Sure, the music’s a little generic, but it’s also catchy and sweet. And besides, despite the somewhat predictable chord progressions, Oldham’s lyrics are as complex and cunning as ever. Opener “Troublesome Houses” is an endearing ode to the wrong side of the tracks, “With Cornstalks or Among Them” takes on the alluring oblivion of rural life, and the Bookends-esque closer “Kids” is a fine entry in the “Will Oldham barely resists despairing about death” micro-genre.

But while The Wonder Show of the World is a solid record, it often sounds as if Will Oldham is little more than a guest on Kelly’s album. That’s okay, but it would be a whole lot more enjoyable if it were the other way around.