Mike Patton and French Music Legend Jean-Claude Vannier Join Forces for New Album

Hear "On Top of the World" from their 'Corpse Flower' LP

BY Brock ThiessenPublished May 17, 2019

Always one for surprises, famed Faith No More singer Mike Patton has announced a full collaborative album with legendary French composer Jean-Claude Vannier, best known for his esteemed work alongside Serge Gainsbourg. Their joint album is called Corpse Flower, and it will arrive on September 13 via Ipecac Recordings.

The album is made up of 12 collaborative tracks, and right now you can hear one of those. "On Top of the World" can be streamed down below.


 "Jean-Claude and I met while working together on a Gainsbourg retrospective at the Hollywood Bowl in 2011," explained Patton in a statement. "We bonded immediately. I could see he had a dedication and attention to detail that was relentless so the respect I had for him in my mind was magnified in person. We spoke loosely about working together in the future… and it took some time, but after a few years I contacted him and we began to ignite some sparks."

Vannier also offered up a statement, saying: "I would send Mike rough versions of the songs to get his thoughts, then I'd wait impatiently, staring at the clock, until I received his response.He made my music awaken with his unique perspective and interpretations of my songs. A formidable vocalist, with a sense of humour, Mike and I created a strong, beautiful and sincere collection of music, as well as a friendship."

With recording sessions taking place both in Los Angeles and Paris, Patton and Vannier also didn't do the album on their own, with the pair roping in an array of guest musicians. On Corpse Flower, the L.A. sessions featured Smokey Hormel (Beck, Johnny Cash), Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, Air, Nine Inch Nails) and James Gadson (Beck, Jamie Lidell). In Paris, meanwhile, contributions came from Denys Lable, Bernard Paganotti (Magma), Daniel Ciampolini, Didier Malherbe, Léonard Le Cloarec and the Bécon Palace String Ensemble.

The album will is available to pre-order now over here. That's the album cover above, and you can see the tracklist below.

Corpse Flower:

1. Ballad C.3.3.
2. Camion
3. Chansons D'Amour
4. Cold Sun Warm Beer
5. Browning
6. Ghost
7. Corpse Flower
8. Insolubles
9. On Top Of The World
10. A Schoolgirl's Day
11. Pink and Bleue
12. Yard Bull

 


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