Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang

***“Island Brothers” b/w “New Wonder,” is the new single from BONNIE PRINCE BILLY & THE CAIRO GANG. It isn’t simply a record of two great songs with stunning artwork. It isn’t merely two more songs from the fellows who put together The Wonder Show Of The World for themselves and for us. It is also a response to an event, an attempt to use music to do something good for people who need more than just great music in their lives. The plan is for as much of the profits as possible from the sales of this single to be given to a Louisville-based organization called EDGE Outreach. They are a faith-based group (which is to say, Christian, although they have helped out among the Moslems of Pakistan in the last year as well) who have put their energy towards providing grassroots water purification systems that can be maintained by local populations. Ideally this diminishes water-born ailments such as cholera. Bonny was able to check out what they do and how they do it; their work was impressive. For this single, the songs were performed by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & The Cairo Gang with BEN BOYE, VAN CAMPBELL, DANNY KIELY and ANGEL OLSEN, who toured the States in the latter half of 2010 with Bonny & Cairo. Special guest ROB MAZUREK (whose work brought air and light to Bonny’s Beware) solos delicate on “Island Brothers,” which featues stacked harmonies from Bonny, Cairo and Angel. The careful arrangement of dynamics that marked all the songs on The Wonder Show Of The World is present on both songs, with “New Wonder” more indicative of the ballad style that was explored throughout that album. No Export to Europe. (STREET DATE - 2/22/11)