Listen to Robyn Hitchcock’s ‘I Want to Tell You About What I Want’ From New Self-Titled Album
Robyn Hitchcock has come up with unusual titles for records in his lengthy career, including I Often Dream of Trains and Ole! Tarantula. But for his next album, which comes out April 21, he's going with, simply, Robyn Hitchcock. You can listen to the first single, "I Want to Tell You About What I Want," above.
"The original title of the song was 'My Vision of World Empathy,'" Hitchcock said in a press release. "Either we will become extinct and eventually be replaced by cats with articulated thumbs who have evolved the way apes slowly evolved into us. Or we will become empathic and mildly telepathic - people like Donald Trump won't happen because biologically no human will be born with that lack of empathy. We will become a species that isn't capable of bullying because we can feel what we're doing to other people. There is obviously some evolutionary step between the human and the angel that needs to take place. Maybe when we have enough suffering credits our DNA will go, Right! Here we go! Homo angelicus - it can read your mind, it's compassionate, it can levitate, and it's a great lover! It shares its fish sticks with you and flies you back in time to see the Velvet Underground! That is what we need to become."
Hitchcock recorded the album in Nashville, where the London native now lives, with producer Brendan Benson (the Raconteurs) and a variety of session musicians, with background vocals courtesy of Emma Swift, Grant-Lee Phillips, Gillian Welch and Pat Sansone of Wilco. You can pre-order Robyn Hitchcock at Yep Roc's website.
Although he has yet to announce a tour to promote the new record, he'll be playing a few dates in the Northeast where he'll be performing his 1981 debut, , in its entirety, with Yo La Tengo as his backing band. You can see the list of dates below and get full ticket details at his website.
Robyn Hitchcock, 'Robyn Hitchcock' Track Listing
1. "I Want to Tell You About What I Want"
2. "Virginia Woolf"
3. "I Pray When I'm Drunk"
4. "Mad Shelley's Letterbox"
5. "Sayonara Judge"
6. "Detective Mindhorn"
7. "1970 in Aspic"
8. "Raymond and the Wires"
9. "Autumn Sunglasses"
10. "Time Coast"
Robyn Hitchcock, 'Black Snake Diamond Role' Tour
Feb. 28 -- Brooklyn, N.Y., Rough Trade NYC
March 1 -- New York, N.Y., Bowery Ballroom
March 2 -- Sellersville, Pa., Sellersville Theater 1894
March 3 -- Somerville, Mass., Once Ballroom
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