Drummer Joe Russo has shared one last single of the decade with a dreamy, psychedelic New Year’s Eve recording of “Auld Lang Syne”. The dreamy song released on Tuesday also features performances from Sam Cohen on saxophone and clarinet, and Stuart Bogie who provides electric guitar, bass, and backing vocals on the new track.
“Auld Lang Syne” opens wonderfully with glistening notation before Russo eases the listener in even further with the slowly-sung lyrics just ahead of the recording’s 0:30-second mark. The song’s words were all written by Russo, who also plays on mellotron and keys throughout the track. Russo delivers an interesting mix of thought-provoking lyrics in the song with lines such as, “Geeks are getting old/These kids are getting radical” and “Light up the cannonballs/Cut keys to the garden walls/I don’t believe your say-sos/Your claque can’t believe in God.”
“‘Auld Lang Syne’ is based on the idea that those currently in power would get to taste for themselves the fear and havoc their policies wreak on people’s lives,” Russo mentioned in a statement to go with the song’s release. “While it initially might seem kind of dark lyrically, it’s really a goodbye to 2019 and an optimistic toast to doing better in 2020.”
Listen to Russo’s new “Auld Lang Syne” below.
Joe Russo – “Auld Lang Syne”
[Video: Joe Russo – Topic]
The recording’s sudden arrival on Tuesday successfully closes what’s been a great year for Joe Russo. The experimental rock drummer opened 2019 with the May arrival of his debut solo album, phér•bŏney, and also teamed up with Circles Around The Sun for a collaborative EP released in October.
“Auld Lang Syne” is available for purchase or streaming here.