The Wonder Show of the World

The Wonder Show of the World
Studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy & the Cairo Gang
Released	2010 (2010)
Genre	Americana, alternative country
Length	47:46
Label	Drag City [1]
Bonnie "Prince" Billy chronology
Beware (2009) The Wonder Show of the World (2010) Wolfroy Goes to Town (2011)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	A− [3]
Consequence of Sound	C [4]
Drowned in Sound	8/10 [5]
NME	[6]
Pitchfork	7.4/10 [7]

The Wonder Show of the World is a collaborative studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy & the Cairo Gang. ^[8] It was released on Drag City in 2010. ^[9]

Production

Will Oldham wrote the lyrics for the album, while Emmett Kelly wrote the music. ^[10]

Critical reception

American Songwriter wrote that the album "is polished with smooth blues-guitar wanderings, sparse yet catchy percussion arrangements, and a wealth of reverberating ‘60’s psychedelic choral harmonies." ^[11] The Guardian wrote that Oldham's "intensity forces our concentration, though, unlike Neil Young, he never extends empathy, only demands it." ^[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Troublesome Houses"	4:24
2.	"Teach Me to Bear You"	5:44
3.	"With Cornstalks or Among Them"	3:07
4.	"The Sounds Are Always Begging"	4:58
5.	"Go Folks, Go"	5:53
6.	"That's What Our Love Is"	7:23
7.	"Merciless and Great"	5:31
8.	"Where Wind Blows"	4:15
9.	"Someone Coming Through"	3:46
10.	"Kids"	2:45

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

• Bonnie "Prince" Billy – music
• The Cairo Gang – music
• Shahzad Ismaily – bass guitar, percussion, vocals
• Phil Elverum – vocals (5, 10)
• Tusi – recording
• Paul Oldham – mastering
• Chris Kelly – artwork
• Joanne Oldham – artwork
• Dan Osborn – layout

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [13]	71
French Albums (SNEP) [14]	176
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [15]	32
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [16]	16

References

1. "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show of the World | Drag City". www.dragcity.com.
2. Bush, John. "The Wonder Show of the World - Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Cairo Gang". AllMusic . Retrieved February 15, 2019.
3. "Bonnie "Prince" Billy & The Cairo Gang: The Wonder Show Of The World". Music.
4. "Album Review: Bonnie "Prince" Billy and the Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show of the World". April 5, 2010.
5. "Album Review: Bonnie Prince Billy and The Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show of the World". DrownedInSound.
6. "Album Review: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang - 'The Wonder Show Of The World' (Domino) | NME". April 16, 2010.
7. "Bonnie "Prince" Billy / The Cairo Gang: The Wonder Show of the World". Pitchfork.
8. "Cairo Gang | Biography & History". AllMusic.
9. "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang The Wonder Show of the World". exclaim.ca.
10. Pareles, Jon (December 9, 2010). "How Much Instability Is Too Much? (Published 2010)" – via NYTimes.com.
11. "BONNIE 'PRINCE' BILLY AND THE CAIRO GANG > The Wonder Show of the World « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. April 1, 2010.
12. Spencer, Neil (March 21, 2010). "Bonnie Prince Billy: The Wonder Show of the World | CD review" – via www.theguardian.com.
13. "Ultratop.be – Bonnie+%27Prince%27+Billy+%26+The+Cairo+Gang – The Wonder Show Of The World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
14. "Lescharts.com – Bonnie+%27Prince%27+Billy+%26+The+Cairo+Gang – The Wonder Show Of The World". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
15. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bonnie+%27Prince%27+Billy+%26+The+Cairo+Gang – The Wonder Show Of The World". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
16. "bonnie-prince-billy-the-cairo-gange Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2019.

External links

• The Wonder Show of the World at Discogs (list of releases)