Damon McMahon (a.k.a. Amen Dunes) has announced a new EP, Cowboy Worship, a companion to last year’s acclaimed LP Love (as you may recall, “Splits Are Parted” was one of our favorite songs of 2014). The fruit of nearly a year-and-a-half of work, distilling the composition’s very essence, Love marked a departure for Amen Dunes, being a more song-centric effort than the free-flowing psych stylings of the band’s previous efforts. The sifting process naturally left several songs out of the final release, some of which are being recovered for Amen Dunes’ new EP. Cowboy Worship includes alternate versions of a couple of songs from Love (“Green Eyes”, “I Can’t Dig It”), a reworked version of “Lezzy Head” from 2011’s Through Donkey Jaw, and a cover of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren.” Famously recorded in 1983 by This Mortal Coil (as close to a 4AD pantheon as it gets), McMahon has described his take on the song as having “a Tim Buckley heart within a This Mortal Coil body”; a great analogy to present a set of songs that could fall halfway between Love and Through Donkey Jaw.
The EP brings back some of Love’s musical guests: that’s Ben Greenberg you hear, strumming his guitar on “Song to the Siren,” while Harvey Milk’s Stephen Tanner features on “Green Eyes.” Regarding the album’s title, McMahon has explained that “cowboy worship” is a type of devotional music that shaped and drove the Love sessions; hence, his decision to use it to collect some of the songs that deserved better than being lost to the arduous recording process. The album cover is worth highlighting as well; it features a gorgeous close-up shot of a crucified Christ’s midsection, an image that would fit any old church in a Texas-set Western. Though he will not dive deep into the South, McMahon will be touring the US early this year, in support of the EP (out January 20 on Sacred Bones). You can check the dates below.
Cowboy Worship tracklisting:
01. I Know Myself (Montreal)
02. Song to the Siren
03. I Can’t Dig It (China Street Blues)
04. Green Eyes (Music Blues)
05. Lezzy Head (Burial)
06. Love (Montreal)
Tour dates:
01.22.15 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom ^
03.26.15 - Baltimore, MD - TBD
03.27.15 - Raleigh, NC - Pinhook
03.28.15 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
03.29.15 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
03.31.15 - Iowa City, IA - Mission Creek Festival
04.01.15 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
04.02.15 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
^ Record release show
• Amen Dunes: https://www.facebook.com/amendunes
• Sacred Bones: http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com
More about: Amen Dunes
