M. Ward has announced plans for his first new studio album in three years. Supernatural Thing is due June 23.
The record finds Ward culling the talents of First Aid Kit, Shovels & Rope, Scott McMicken, Neko Case, Jim James and others for eight original songs, in addition to covers of David Bowie's "I Can't Give Everything Away" and Daniel Johnston's "Story of an Artist."
The singer-songwriter said of the album, "The title comes from an early thought as a kid that radio travelled the same airwaves as messages from supernatural things — and music, especially remembered music, is somehow tied up in this exchange.
"The sending and receiving of messages from memory and dreams seem to move along this same often broken-up wavelength. I see this new record as an extension, 18 years later, of my Transistor Radio record, but this new record is better because it's more concise and has more voices and more moods — the way my favourite radio was and still is."
Its title track arrives today alongside a music video by Joel Trussell. It's said to live "in a liminal space in which Elvis comes to him with a message: You Can Go Anywhere You Please."
"Well, all my songs depend on dream-imagery to some extent," Ward explained, "and this was an actual dream I had about Elvis, when he came to me and said that. I don't know if it's pandemic-related or not."
Listen to that below, where you can also check out the record's tracklist.
Supernatural Thing:
1. lifeline
2. too young to die (feat. First Aid Kit)
3. supernatural thing
4. new kerrang (feat. Scott McMicken)
5. dedication hour (feat. Neko Case)
6. i can't give everything away (feat. Jim James)
7. engine 5 (feat. First Aid Kit)
8. mr. dixon (feat. Shovels & Rope)
9. for good (feat. Kelly Pratt)
10. story of an artist
The record finds Ward culling the talents of First Aid Kit, Shovels & Rope, Scott McMicken, Neko Case, Jim James and others for eight original songs, in addition to covers of David Bowie's "I Can't Give Everything Away" and Daniel Johnston's "Story of an Artist."
The singer-songwriter said of the album, "The title comes from an early thought as a kid that radio travelled the same airwaves as messages from supernatural things — and music, especially remembered music, is somehow tied up in this exchange.
"The sending and receiving of messages from memory and dreams seem to move along this same often broken-up wavelength. I see this new record as an extension, 18 years later, of my Transistor Radio record, but this new record is better because it's more concise and has more voices and more moods — the way my favourite radio was and still is."
Its title track arrives today alongside a music video by Joel Trussell. It's said to live "in a liminal space in which Elvis comes to him with a message: You Can Go Anywhere You Please."
"Well, all my songs depend on dream-imagery to some extent," Ward explained, "and this was an actual dream I had about Elvis, when he came to me and said that. I don't know if it's pandemic-related or not."
Listen to that below, where you can also check out the record's tracklist.
Supernatural Thing:
1. lifeline
2. too young to die (feat. First Aid Kit)
3. supernatural thing
4. new kerrang (feat. Scott McMicken)
5. dedication hour (feat. Neko Case)
6. i can't give everything away (feat. Jim James)
7. engine 5 (feat. First Aid Kit)
8. mr. dixon (feat. Shovels & Rope)
9. for good (feat. Kelly Pratt)
10. story of an artist
