Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch and more also appear
Published Sep 20, 2019
After teasing the arrival of a new album this past July, DJ Shadow has detailed his sixth studio effort.
Titled Our Pathetic Age, the producer’s latest arrives November 15 through Mass Appeal. Twenty-three tracks in length, the album’s first 11 tracks are instrumental and form DJ Shadow’s “first fully composed orchestral piece,” while the back half packs in a star-studded list of features.
Appearing on the record are Nas, Pharoahe Monch, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, De La Soul, Run the Jewels, Interpol frontman Paul Banks, Wiki, Dave East, Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring and more.
DJ Shadow expanded on the lyrical content of Our Pathetic Age as follows:
More than anything, I try to get a sense of the mood of society as a whole. The subtle signals that humans send each other, the way people behave, their frustrations and ebbs and flows. In my part of the world, people are scared. There’s rampant homelessness, and a real fear of falling into generational poverty. People are addicted to, and addled by distraction; they’re angry and confused, and disaffected by their own governmental institutions. There’s songs that are inspired by this energy and seek to harness it, to make sense of it. In some cases, there’s attempts to salve the wound; in others, the songs merely observe but don’t offer solutions. Despite the title, it’s a hopeful, vibrant album…there is always light in darkness. I want it to reflect the times we live in, a signpost in the ground to mark the era… Our Pathetic Age.
DJ Shadow has also shared new song “Rosie,” which follows this De La Soul-assisted “Rocket Fuel.” You can hear that below.
Our Pathetic Age:
1. Nature Always Wins
2. Slingblade
3. Intersectionality
4. Beauty, Power, Motion, Life, Work, Chaos, Law
5. Juggernaut
6. Firestorm
7. Weightless
8. Rosie
9. If I Died Today
10. My Lonely Room
11. We Are Always Alone
12. Drone Warfare (ft. Nas & Pharoahe Monch)
13. Rain On Snow (ft. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon)
14. Rocket Fuel (ft. De La Soul)
15. C.O.N.F.O.R.M. (ft. Gift of Gab, Lateef The Truth Speaker & Infamous Taz)
16. Small Colleges (Stay With Me) (ft. Wiki & Paul Banks)
17. JoJo’s Words (ft. Stro)
18. Kings & Queens (ft. Run the Jewels)
19. Taxin’ (ft. Dave East)
20. Dark Side of the Heart (ft. Fantastic Negrito & Jumbo is Dr.ama)
21. I Am Not A Robot (Interlude)
22. Urgent, Important, Please Read (ft. Rockwell Knuckles, Tef Poe, Daemon)
23. Our Pathetic Age (ft. Samuel T. Herring)