The man, the myth, the legend — John Cale — has announced his first new album of original material in a decade, sharing the news alongside the lead single "STORY OF BLOOD" featuring Weyes Blood.
MERCY arrives January 26 via Double Six / Domino. It follows Cale's 2012 album Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood. Since then, the prolific artist has reissued reworkings of previous records, Music for a New Society and Fragments of a Rainy Season, both released in 2016, as well as one-off singles "Lazy Day" and "Night Crawling." The latter song is now set to appear on the new LP, alongside collaborations with Animal Collective, Sylvan Esso, Tei Shi, Actress, Laurel Halo and Fat White Family.
That is, of course, in addition to new track "STORY OF BLOOD" — a seven-and-a-half-minute epic that begins with a little piano prelude before being overtaken by a rattling beat and spacey synths.
"I'd been listening to Weyes Blood's latest record [Titanic Rising] and remembered Natalie [Mering]'s puritanical vocals," Cale shared of the song in a press release. "I thought if I could get her to come and sing with me on the 'Swing your soul' section, and a few other harmonies, it would be beautiful. What I got from her was something else! Once I understood the versatility in her voice, it was as if I'd written the song with her in mind all along. Her range and fearless approach to tonality was an unexpected surprise. There's even a little passage in there where she's a dead-ringer for Nico."
Watch the Jethro Waters-directed video for "STORY OF BLOOD" below, where you'll also find the album tracklist.
MERCY:
1. MERCY (feat. Laurel Halo)
2. MARILYN MONROE'S LEGS (beauty elsewhere) (feat. Actress)
3. NOISE OF YOU
4. STORY OF BLOOD (feat. Weyes Blood)
5. TIME STANDS STILL (feat. Sylvan Esso)
6. MOONSTRUCK (Nico's Song)
7. EVERLASTING DAYS (feat. Animal Collective)
8. NIGHT CRAWLING
9. NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
10. THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE (feat. Fat White Family)
11. I KNOW YOU'RE HAPPY (feat. Tei Shi)
12. OUT YOUR WINDOW
Pre-order MERCY.
MERCY arrives January 26 via Double Six / Domino. It follows Cale's 2012 album Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood. Since then, the prolific artist has reissued reworkings of previous records, Music for a New Society and Fragments of a Rainy Season, both released in 2016, as well as one-off singles "Lazy Day" and "Night Crawling." The latter song is now set to appear on the new LP, alongside collaborations with Animal Collective, Sylvan Esso, Tei Shi, Actress, Laurel Halo and Fat White Family.
That is, of course, in addition to new track "STORY OF BLOOD" — a seven-and-a-half-minute epic that begins with a little piano prelude before being overtaken by a rattling beat and spacey synths.
"I'd been listening to Weyes Blood's latest record [Titanic Rising] and remembered Natalie [Mering]'s puritanical vocals," Cale shared of the song in a press release. "I thought if I could get her to come and sing with me on the 'Swing your soul' section, and a few other harmonies, it would be beautiful. What I got from her was something else! Once I understood the versatility in her voice, it was as if I'd written the song with her in mind all along. Her range and fearless approach to tonality was an unexpected surprise. There's even a little passage in there where she's a dead-ringer for Nico."
Watch the Jethro Waters-directed video for "STORY OF BLOOD" below, where you'll also find the album tracklist.
MERCY:
1. MERCY (feat. Laurel Halo)
2. MARILYN MONROE'S LEGS (beauty elsewhere) (feat. Actress)
3. NOISE OF YOU
4. STORY OF BLOOD (feat. Weyes Blood)
5. TIME STANDS STILL (feat. Sylvan Esso)
6. MOONSTRUCK (Nico's Song)
7. EVERLASTING DAYS (feat. Animal Collective)
8. NIGHT CRAWLING
9. NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
10. THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE (feat. Fat White Family)
11. I KNOW YOU'RE HAPPY (feat. Tei Shi)
12. OUT YOUR WINDOW
Pre-order MERCY.
