The Letting Go Explained

The Letting Go
Type:	studio
Artist:	Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Border:	yes
Studio:	Reykjavík, Iceland
Genre:	Alternative country folk rock indie rock^[1]
Label:	Drag City
Producer:	Valgeir Sigurðsson
Prev Title:	The Brave and the Bold
Prev Year:	2006
Next Title:	Ask Forgiveness
Next Year:	2007

The Letting Go is a 2006 studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy. It was released on Drag City.

Production

The album was recorded in Reykjavík, Iceland and produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson, who is known for his work with the Icelandic artist Björk. The arrangement was done by Nico Muhly. Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables also sings on the album.

The album's title comes from the last lines of the Emily Dickinson poem that starts "After a Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes."^[2]

This is the hour of lead
Remembered if outlived,
As freezing persons recollect the snow,
First chill, then stupor, then the letting go.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Letting Go received an average score of 84% based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Pitchfork placed The Letting Go at number 195 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.^[3]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

• Emmett Kelly – guitar
• Dawn McCarthy – singing
• Paul Oldham – bass
• Valgeir Sigurðsson – recording, mixing
• Jim White – drums

Charts

Chart	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)^[4]	70
US Billboard 200^[5]	194
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[6]	8
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[7]	17
US Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)^[8]	10

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pitchfork Staff . The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s . . October 2, 2009. Arranged by Nico Muhly, who is quickly becoming indie rock’s unofficial house composer, they signal the album’s feeling of grave finality.... April 27, 2023.
2. Web site: Bonnie Prince Billy: The Letting Go. Cokemachineglow. September 22, 2006. May 10, 2007. Hepburn. Peter. https://web.archive.org/web/20070207100859/http://www.cokemachineglow.com/reviews/bpb_thelettinggo2006.html. February 7, 2007.
3. Web site: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151. Pitchfork. September 28, 2009. October 1, 2009. Pitchfork staff.
4. Web site: Bonnie Prince Billy. Official Charts Company. November 16, 2017.
5. Web site: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Billboard 200. Billboard. April 14, 2017.
6. Web site: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums. Billboard. April 14, 2017.
7. Web site: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Independent Albums. Billboard. April 14, 2017.
8. Web site: Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Chart history - Tastemaker Albums. Billboard. April 14, 2017.