David Yow Announces Debut Solo Album 'Tonight You Look Like a Spider'

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Apr 24, 2013

We haven't heard too much from the Jesus Lizard's David Yow since the band wrapped up their reunion tour, but the iconic vocalist is about to hit back in a big way with his first-ever solo LP, titled Tonight You Look Like a Spider. News of the set is no doubt a surprise to some, but what's even weirder is that the record has apparently been in the works since the late '90s.

Press material confirms that Joyful Noise will drop Yow's "twisted debut album" on June 25. A note from the singer added that he began working on the set back in 1998 after learning the basics of digital recording.

"Sometime around the end of 1998, my dear and amazing buddy Alex was visiting my house. He knows everything. He showed me the most superficial, broad stroke rudiments of ProTools and I started fucking around," he said. "A week or two went by and I was out dancing through the filthy streets of Chicago when I ran into a fella who goes by the name of Mike. Mike is an extremely industrious and good looking man. He grabbed me violently by my dry and flakey shoulders and screamed at the top of his carbon flavored lungs, 'YOU'RE MAKING A SOLO RECORD AND I'M PUTTING IT OUT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!'"

The "Mike" in question was Faith No More/Tomahawk frontman Mike Patton, but considering the album arrives through Joyful Noise and not Patton's Ipecac imprint, Yow quipped: "He was right about the first part."

Adding of the creation of the song cycle, Yow explained: "I rented a saxophone for two months, I borrowed some guitars and some drums, I rummaged through the kitchen, I squeezed a fat cat, I poked and prodded and ended up with my very own music. It's real good, if you like that kind of shit. I named it Tonight You Look Like a Spider after a spider I saw one night."

If you want a sneak peek of the set, you can download the subterranean scare-jazz composition "Thee Itch" over here.

Adding to the weirdness, Joyful Noise will issue three separate versions of Tonight You Look Like a Spider. The first is a basic black vinyl LP, while a more limited pressing will appear on grey/black wax with white spatter. Finally, the deluxe "Monolith" edition (pictured) comes with "an actual cement vinyl-displaying-sculpture, created from the same mould pictured on the front cover" handmade by Yow himself. The vinyl for this edition is grey/black wax with gold and white splatter, and it will be shipped in a separate package than the cement slab for "safety" purposes.

You can place a pre-order here.

Tonight You Look Like a Spider:

1. Opening Suite
2. Roundhouse
3. Senator Robinson's Speech
4. Bleth My Thoul
5. Intermission (Lawrence Of A Labia)
6. Tonight You Look Like A Spider
7. Uncle 
8. Thee Itch
9. The Door
10. Visualize This
11. Conclusion

Latest Coverage