Zach Hill has more collaborations than you have fingers, which makes keeping up with his endeavors mighty difficult. The latest comes in the form of his second solo album, a 13-track effort titled Face Tat.
Due for release on October 13th via Sargent House, the record hears the drummer paired up with a number of high-profile guest contributors, including No Age members Dean Spunt and Randy Randall, Devendra Banhart, Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, and Prefuse 73’s Guillermo Scott Herren. Also appearing are a number of Hill’s bandmates in other projects, including Hella’s Carson McWhirter and Bygones’ Nick Reinhar.
Hill says the album is in reference to an article he read about people with facial tattoos potentially having a higher suicide rate than those without. “I have friends with facial tattoos who are some of the most positive people I know, and have friends & family without facial tattoos that have taken their own lives within this past year. I found that idea very interesting and metaphorical on many levels — whether true or not — and began using my personal thoughts on this as a muse/concept that could be applied to many different contexts,” Hill explains. “Musically, socially, politically, the Internet, whatever else… generally the idea/concept of ‘platforms’.”
He continues: “These thoughts were just a starting point and motivation for me though. The music itself is of course the focal point. This started from myself and friends making the kind of abrasive/forward music in ‘pop’ form I’d want to hear, but hadn’t. There’s an emphasis on experimenting with ‘destroying’ sounds so that the source of the melody, rhythms, vocals, etc., is not recognizable or traceable, and then building these things into abstract forms of pop music with conventional structures. Some of the most melodic aspects to this recording are coming from things like the sound of pissing/urinating on a stack of Rolling Stone magazines (I have a subscription), kicking in the screen of a computer, arguments on the street, etc.” Pissing on Rolling Stone‘s? Ugh… there goes my idea for a solo album. Oh well, what say you about lyrics, Mr. Hill?
“Lyrically, many of the songs started from me writing down a lot of out-of-context sentences I’d hear in passing or from personal exchanges that I found really visual, stimulating or to which I felt a connection. So, I wrote stories out of things I’d gathered — in line at the store, in a dream, visiting family in jail, after a show, on a plane, talking with the homeless, etc. — and formed them into songs and shaped them into subjects that I relate to. I like the idea of making these very real but obscure moments that are otherwise unknown or gone forever into their own weird little worlds. So, I’m very stoked about this record & I’m very excited for other people to hear it and as always I hope that people will gain something positive from it.”
Below, find the album’s 13 song tracklist as well as a mp3 for track number one, “Memo To the Man”. As mentioned, Face Tat arrives October 13th.
Check Out:
“Memo To the Man”
Face Tat Tracklist:
01. Memo To the Man
02. The Primitives Talk
03. Ex-Ravers
04. The Sacto Smile
05. Green Bricks
06. House of Hits
07. Jackers
08. Burner In the Video
09. Dizzy From the Twins
10. Gross Sales
11. Total Recall
12. Face Tat
13. Second Life