Big Thief has been enlisted by singer-songwriter Tucker Zimmerman to be the backing band on his new album ‘Dance Of Love’.
The album’s lead track, “Burial at Sea,” comes with a video directed by Noah, the younger brother of Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker. Driven by melodic guitar strings, the song also features Lenker on backing vocals. The band backs Zimmerman on nine of the album’s ten tracks.
‘Dance Of Love’ is due to be released on October 11 on 4AD, you can pre-order and pre-save it here.
In a press statement, Zimmerman said: “After years of writing and filling a box with over 500 song sheets, I had finally found my path, my originality, my voice. It had become clear to me that songs of only one kind were worth spending time on: those which had a positive message and a peaceful vibration […] Just poetry. Little hums that perhaps might lift us all above our daily worries and fears, little hums that try to make the world a better place to live in.”
Tucker Zimmerman – ‘Dance Of Love’ tracklist
1. Old Folks From Farmersville [ft. Big Thief, Iji and Twain]
2. Idiot’s Maze [ft. Big Thief, Iji and Twain]
3. Lorelei [ft. Big Thief]
4. The Season [ft. Big Thief, Iji and Twain]
5. Burial at Sea [ft. Big Thief, Iji and Twain]
6. They Don’t Say It (But It’s True) [ft. Big Thief]
7. Leave It On The Porch Outside [ft. Big Thief, Iji and Twain]
8. The Ram-A-Lama-Ding-Dong Song [ft. Big Thief, Iji and Twain]
9. Don’t Go Crazy (Go in Peace) [ft. Iji and Twain]
10. Nobody Knows [ft. Big Thief]
Zimmerman’s 1969 album ‘Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman’ was included in David Bowie’s list of favourite vinyl records. One of the tracks from the album, ‘Fourth Hour of My Sleep’ was later recorded by Mick Ronson’s band Ronno.
Zimmerman consistently released music throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, but his output diminished as he shifted his focus to writing poetry and fiction. He later returned to recording in the last two decades.
In July, bassist and founding member of Big Thief Max Oleartchik left the band. They also debuted a new song called ‘Taker’ at a gig in Belgium last month.