Christian Williams has picked up his trusty old Martin guitar again. This is surprising news since he changed his musical style to experimental electronica many years ago. Before this sharp and unexpected turn, he released five gothic folk (or gothic country if you prefer) albums between 2007-2008. Christian Williams is one of my absolute favorites in the genre. Three years ago he began a new recording project, an off and on project that takes time. According to the artist, the easy part is coming up with ideas; the hard part is shifting through all of that and figuring out what’s worth working with for an album. Now it seems like the project has regained its momentum. Actually, you can follow its progress in real time at Bandcamp, click here (opens in a new window). Christian Williams writes on Bandcamp: "In late 2024, I began writing new songs again after an almost 15 year hiatus. This process has continued into 2025 and my first album of original music since 2009 is starting to take shape. In an effort to both share these new songs as they evolve and also motivate myself to see this album through to completion, I've decided to share the demos of each song as I write them. These will be barebones recordings of just my voice and guitar as I move these songs along from ideas on paper to something I can continue to listen to and tweak. At this point, I don't know which of these songs will make it onto the final album, but you'll be able to follow me through the process of making those decisions through this project. I'll continue to add new songs as they're ready to be shared so be sure to bookmark this page and check back every week or so to see when a new song has been added. The newest song will be at the top of the track listing. As long as the inspiration continues to strike, I'll keep writing new songs and hopefully by the end of 2025 I'll have a nice selection of diamonds in the rough to polish for the new album, which I'm tentatively calling "No Wrong Answers."
What can I say? I have listened to the raw songs on Bandcamp and it's almost to good to be true. Christian Williams still got his songwriting skills left intact. The same goes for his dark baritone voice. However, a man cannot step into the same river twice, because it is not the same river, and he is not same man. In an e-mail Christian Wiliams explains: "For several years now, I've been trying to tap back into the creative mindset that helped me make "Built with Bones" and my other albums and I'm starting to realize that's been holding me back from writing anything new. I think I needed distance from those songs and what inspired them and allow myself to get inspired anew - to find a different creative mindset to work from. I'm starting to find that again in this uncertain world we're living in now. I suppose like any good "gothic country" songwriter worth his salt, I draw inspiration from troubling times whether they be personal or as a reaction to the world around me. "Built with Bones" and my first songs were mostly inspired by my own troubling times; these new songs are shaping up to be inspired by the troubled world we now find ourselves living in." This recording project is a beacon in itself. Christian Williams still got the powers within him. I never gave up hope. A new gothic country album from Christian Williams has been in my "What to expect and wish for in 20XX" blog entries for many years. I hope and wish that he has the inspiration, time and energy to complete these recordings.