Still Some Light

If the 20 Bill Fay songs that surfaced on 2004’s Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow seemed like a lot, this 2010 collection may overwhelm with its whopping 43 tracks. With recordings spanning from 1971 to 2009, Still Some Light is a lot to ingest, but its sequence is more flowing than daunting. While the Wilco-covered “Be Not So Fearful” is curiously absent, the first 17 songs here were culled from that same period, where Fay was accompanied by guitarist Ray Russell, bassist Daryl Runswick, and drummer Alan Rushton. “Backwoods Maze” opens, spotlighting the contrast between Fay’s restrained vocal approach and Russell’s busy flurry of buzzing, twanging electric guitar leads: a combo that made for winsome chemistry between the two. With vocals sounding a bit like Townes Van Zandt, Fay’s somber lyrics battle with Russell’s acid rock guitar wailing in “The Sun Is Bored.” The disturbing “Pictures of Adolph Again” finds Fay comparing Christ to Hitler over a twangy folk-rock backdrop. Fay’s 2009 home-studio recordings make up the second half. Standouts include the Leonard Cohen–esque “My Eyes Open” and the hopeful “One Day.”