Just in case you had (somehow)begun thinking that things were “going kinda alright” in the world — the illimitable DJ Shadow is back to school your dumb ass with his latest album — a double-vinyl affair bursting with over 20 tracks — appropriately entitled Our Pathetic Age. Hard to argue.
A bifurcated barrage of instrumental wizardry and vocal workouts (featuring the likes of Raekwon, Run The Jewels, and Ghostface Killah), Our Pathetic Age’s double-ness marks new territory for Mr. Joshua Paul Davis, who claims to have worked “for seventeen months” on the 23 track album, trying to deliver his “best and most personal” work to date. “Instrumentally,” he claims, “I think this is my most cohesive and satisfying set since the What Does Your Soul Look Like EP.”
Also, it turns out I was totally lying in that first paragraph, because, despite the doom-and-gloom title, Davis views the album as “a hopeful, vibrant album:”
As an artist, I feel an obligation to interpret the world around me, and there’s no denying that these are times fraught with angst and pain. Yet, always there is light in darkness, and that’s the energy I have sought to harness. As always, thank you for sharing the journey with me, and I hope that the new album meets or surpasses your broadest expectations.
No matter WHAT mood ultimately prevails, Our Pathetic Age will certainly be available on November 15 as a double-vinyl — including a special edition of 1000 “bonus” waxes, containing “instrumental versions of some of the rap tracks” exclusively at DJShadow.com — as well as a compact disc and even-more-compact digital download.
In the mean time, head here for more pre-order info, stream the instrumental track “Rosie” down below, and get ready to…feel…feelings…about…things.
Our Pathetic Age tracklisting:
(Instrumental Suite)
01. Nature Always Wins
02. Slingblade
03. Intersectionality
04. Beauty, Power, Motion, Life, Work, Chaos, Law
05. Juggernaut
06. Firestorm
07. Weightless
08. Rosie
09. If I Died Today
10. My Lonely Room
11. We Are Always Alone
(Vocal Suite)
12. Drone Warfare (feat. Nas and Pharaohe Monch)
13. Rain On Snow (feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon)
14. Rocket Fuel (feat. De La Soul)
15. C.O.N.F.O.R.M. (feat. Gift of Gab, Lateef The Truth Speaker, Infamous Taz)
16. Small Colleges (Stay With Me) (feat. Wiki and Paul Banks)
17. JoJo’s Words (feat. Stro)
18. Kings & Queens (feat. Run The Jewels)
19. Taxin’ (ft. Dave East)
20. Dark Side Of The Heart (feat. Fantastic Negrito, Jumbo is Dr.ama)
21. I am Not A Robot (Interlude)
22. Urgent Important Please Read (feat. Rockwell Knuckles, Tef Poe, Daemon)
23. Our Pathetic Age (feat. Sam Herring)
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