Guarapero/Lost Blues 2 gathers seven years' worth of rarities from
Will Oldham, including an unusual reading of
D.H. Lawrence's poem The Risen Lord, with a clunky, cheesy drum machine in the background, as well as a radical reworking of
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Every Mother's Son." Several of these songs come from BBC sessions, but the sound quality on tracks like "Gezundheit" and "Let the Wires Ring" suggests they were recorded on wax cylinder and transmitted by a crystal set, which, of course, only amplifies the songs' sparse, timeless feel. "The Spider's Dude Is Often There" and "For the Mekons Et Al" are among the most exuberant
Palace songs on
Guarapero, while
Oldham tracks like "No More Rides" and "Sugarcane Juice Drinker" trace his development as a performer and songwriter. Due to the time span it covers, it's natural that
Guarapero/Lost Blues 2 is a bit disjointed; nevertheless, it fills in the gaps for
Oldham completists and is an entertaining, if scattered, look at some of his musical sketches over the years.