New Mix: Weezer, Lucinda Williams, Sufjan Stevens, More
Clockwise from upper left: Weezer, Sufjan Stevens, Lia Ices, Lucinda Williams, Shabazz Palaces Courtesy of the artists hide caption
On this week's All Songs Considered, Robin Hilton returns from vacation with "Back To The Shack," the fantastically hard-rocking first single from Weezer's upcoming Everything Will Be Alright In The End. Bob Boilen follows with Sufjan Stevens' take on Arthur Russell's "A Little Lost," from the upcoming tribute album to the late New York cellist and composer, Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell.
Later in the show Bob and Robin premiere three tracks: Brooklyn-based duo Buke and Gase's "Seam Esteem," Lia Ices' mesmerizing "How We Are" and a brand-new love song from Lucinda Williams, "Stowaway In Your Heart," from her upcoming double album Down Where the Spirit Meets The Bone. Also in the mix: hip-hop innovators Shabazz Palaces' shape-shifting "#CAKE."
Songs Featured On This Episode
Weezer
- Song: Back To The Shack
- from Everything Will Be Alright In The End
"Back To The Shack" is the first single from Weezer's ninth studio album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, and is their third to be produced by Cars' frontman Ric Ocasek.
Sufjan Stevens
- Song: A Little Lost
- from Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell
Arthur Russell released only a few beloved records before he died in 1992. But Russell also wrote and produced many songs in a wide variety of genres that have trickled out since his death. Now the AIDS awareness organization Red Hot has put together a two-disc tribute album featuring covers of Russell's songs by musicians like Robyn, Glen Hansard, Hot Chip and more. Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell is out October 21 via Red Hot and Yep Roc.
Buke and Gase
- Song: Seam Esteem
- from TBA
Buke and Gase have gained a reputation for propulsive tunes played on handmade instruments — the "buke," a six-string baritone ukulele, and the "gase," a guitar-bass hybrid. "Seam Esteem" is the first glimpse into their next record. More on Buke and Gase on the band's website.
Shabazz Palaces
- Song: #Cake
- from Lese Majesty
"#CAKE" appears on Shabazz Palaces' 2014 release Lese Majesty, which takes its name from a French term for offending the dignity of a royal. Listen to Shabazz Palaces' Ishmael Butler explain how the group's one-of-a-kind sound is made here.
Lia Ices
- Song: How We Are
- from Ices
Lia Ices spent two years recording Ices, the follow-up to 2011's Grown Unknown. She describes the process, which she completed with her twin brother Eliot, as a two-year "music and spiritual retreat" that took them from Brooklyn to northern California, from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Ices will be released on Sept. 16 on Jagjaguwar. More on Lia Ices on her website.
Lucinda Williams
- Song: Stowaway In Your Heart
- from Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone
Down Where the Spirit Meets The Bone is Lucinda Williams' eleventh studio album, and the first since 2011's Blessed. The double-album includes contributions from Bill Frisell, Jakob Dylan and a poem written by Williams' father, Miller Williams. Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone will be released on Williams' own Highway 20 Records on September 30.