New album out Apr. 28


Not sure if that's two dudes or what's going on in the cover art, but it's a soundtrack for some movie.

They have the first track up for download at bobdylan.com, available today only.

Quote :

"Bob Dylan's new album Together Through Life will be released at the end of April but a few lucky journalists have heard it and filed their reports: Los Angeles Times's Ann Powers (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/03/snap-judgment-b.html) The New Yorker's Alex Ross (http://www.therestisnoise.com/2009/03/new-dylan.html) Mojo's Michael Simmons (http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/03/new_dylan_album_our_first_list.html): "Yet what I heard offered ample proof of an artist steeped in the past but thoroughly living in the present, cognizant of everything, not afraid to point fingers or laugh at fools or fall in love. "It's a powerful personal work by a man who still thinks for himself in an era of fear, conformity, and dehumanization. That it rocks mightily makes the message even more compelling. Whatever the hell it gets called, it'll be in the running for Best Album Of 2009." Uncut's Allan Jones (http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/index.php?blog=5&p=1120&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more1120): "We now know that the new Bob Dylan album, which unexpectedly will be with us on April 27, is called Together Through Life. We know also that it was written and recorded quickly. "Dylan had been asked by the French film director Olivier Dahan, who made the Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie En Rose, which Dylan had apparently liked, to write some songs for his new movie, My Own Love Song. Dylan duly came up with a ballad called "Life Is Hard", and was so inspired the next thing anyone knew he'd written nine more new songs and not long after that - bingo! - here's Together Through Life in all its rowdy glory. "What's it sound like? Well, early reports have hinted at a mix of Dylan's beloved Chicago blues and the loping border country feel of, say, "Girl From The Red River Shore", the latter courtesy of Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, whose accordion features on every track, alongside Dylan's formidable current touring band and as yet unidentified guest musicians. "Both musical elements are indeed here, brazenly matched on nearly ever track, Hidalgo either providing lyrical lilting counterpoint to the band's hard driving blues muscle or flinging himself headlong into the fray with pumping riffs, as on the jumping "If You Ever Go To Houston" ("keep your hands in your pockets and your gun-belts tied"). "The broad template for much of the album would appear to be, let's say, "Thunder On the Mountain" and "Rollin' And Tumblin'" from Modern Times, but in truth these tracks are, overall, much punchier, a raucous edge to everything in sight. Only the noble "Life Is Hard" is in the crooning style of something like "Beyond The Horizon" and even here there's a ragged edge to things that wasn't apparent on Modern Times, a rawness - emotional and musical - that separates it from that album and its immediate predecessors, "Love And Theft" and Time Out Of Mind. "Together In Life gets in your face immediately - with the wallop of the cheerfully-titled "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'", which is driven by spectacular drumming and massed horns, a trumpet prominently featured - and over the course of its 10 tracks doesn't back off, doesn't appear to even think about doing so, Dylan's voice throughout an unfettered roar, a splendid growl. "The album broadly is preoccupied with themes of mortality, lost love, grief, the passing of time, memory, waning days and lonely nights. The mood of these songs, however, couldn't be more different to the mordant reflection of, for instance, "Not Dark Yet". Together Through Life is a rowdy gut-bucket, by turns angry, funny, sassy, Dylan heading noisily in the direction of that last good night. "'My Wife's Home Town', "Shake Mama Shake" and the stingingly ironic "It's All Good" - an hilariously-wrought litany of personal and national woe - are all eventfully robust, heartily defiant. "'Forgetful Heart', meanwhile, is set to a measured stalking beat that recalls "Walkin', Not Talkin'", while the cantina drift of "This Dream Of You", with accordion and fiddle taking lead instrumental spots, is fleetingly reminiscent of the first version of "Mississippi" on last year's Tell-Tale Signs. Elsewhere, there may be things about "Feel A Change Coming On" that will remind you of "Workingman's Blues". "On first listen, then, a great album that when it comes out and goes on repeat will get better and better.""

3/30/2009 1:23:03 PM

Quote :

"it's a soundtrack for some movie."

Not a soundtrack... it's a proper studio album. Bob's motivation for returning to the studio was writing a song for the soundtrack to a movie called "My own love song"

3/30/2009 1:35:48 PM

Yeah, it's not etched in stone yet, but the speculation is that the album will comprise most of the soundtrack for "My Own Love Song".

From the interview with Dylan on his site:

Quote :

"Movie? >Yeah. Right, you mentioned something about that before. How did you get involved? >The French director, Olivier Dahan, approached me about composing some songs for a film he was writing and directing. When was that? >I can’t remember exactly, it was sometime last year. What did you find intriguing about that? You must get approached for movie songs all the time. >I had seen one of his other movies, the one about the singer Edith Piaf, and I liked it. What’s this new one about? >It’s kind of a journey. . . a journey of self discovery. . . takes place in the American South Who’s in it? >At the time we were talking I didn’t know who was going to be in it. I think Forest Whitaker and Renee Zellweger are in it now. And he wanted you to do the soundtrack? >Yeah, pretty much. But he wasn’t too specific. The only thing he needed for sure was a ballad for the main character to sing towards the end of the movie. And that’s the song LIFE IS HARD. Were all the songs on this record written for the movie then? >Well no, not really. We started off with LIFE IS HARD and then the record sort of took its own direction."

[Edited on March 30, 2009 at 1:53 PM. Reason : But yeah, it's a proper studio album, and remains to be seen how much of it will end up in the movie]

3/30/2009 1:52:08 PM