Peter Gabriel has adopted a unique method of rolling out new music from his upcoming album, i/o.
So far, the legendary musician has released four tracks from the record, timed to new moon phases.
The latest composition, "The Court (Bright-Side Mix)," debuted early Sunday in connection to a full moon:
Said Gabriel's message to fans accompanying the premiere:
Hello moon watchers!
According to NASA, the new moon phase is the 'invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth.'
This new moon, however, we're respectfully ignoring the science and concentrating firmly on the Bright-Side of things. Oh, and also forgoing the 'in-visible' in favour of the more concise and immersive In-Side of.... The Court.
It's the "Bright-Side" remix of "The Court (Dark-Side Mix)," which came out on Feb. 6 and glides along on a different production path from the newer rendition:
More on "The Court (Dark-Side Mix)," per a news release:
Written and produced by Peter Gabriel, "The Court" was recorded at Real World Studios in Wiltshire and The Beehive in London, and features contributions from Brian Eno alongside Tony Levin, David Rhodes and Manu Katché, as well as backing vocals from Peter's daughter Melanie Gabriel. The orchestral arrangement is by John Metcalfe with Peter Gabriel and was recorded at British Grove Studios in London with a number of players who previously featured in the New Blood Orchestra.
"I had this idea for 'the court will rise' chorus, so it became a free-form, impressionistic lyric that connected to justice, but there's a sense of urgency there. A lot of life is a struggle between order and chaos and in some senses the justice or legal system is something that we impose to try and bring some element of order to the chaos. That's often abused, it's often unfair and discriminatory but at the same time it's probably an essential part of a civilised society. But we do need to think sometimes about how that is actually realised and employed."
The song is partly inspired by the work of NAMATI whose mission is to provide people around the world access to justice they may not otherwise be able to afford. "I recommend you check them out," says Gabriel. "They do a brilliant job assembling teams around the world to help with different issues."
The new record does not have an official release date yet, though it's expected at some point in 2023.
Said the legendary Peter Gabriel of this i/o project:
"Some of what I'm writing about this time is the idea that we seem incredibly capable of destroying the planet that gave us birth and that unless we find ways to reconnect ourselves to nature and to the natural world we are going to lose a lot. A simple way of thinking about where we fit in to all of this is looking up at the sky... and the moon has always drawn me to it."
Peter Gabriel also has some European tour dates lined up for later in the spring, with North American shows set to be announced soon. Stay tuned!
Thursday 18 May Krakow, Poland TAURON Arena Saturday 20 May Verona, Italy Verona Arena Sunday 21 May Milan, Italy Mediolanum Arena Tuesday 23 May Paris, France AccorHotels Arena Wednesday 24 May Lille, France Stade Pierre-Mauroy Friday 26 May Berlin, Germany Waldbuehne Sunday 28 May Munich, Germany Koenigsplatz Tuesday 30 May Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Arena Wednesday 31 May Stockholm, Sweden Avicii Arena Friday 2 June Bergen, Norway Koengen Monday 5 June Amsterdam, Netherlands Ziggo Dome Tuesday 6 June Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis Thursday 8 June Zurich, Switzerland Hallenstadion Saturday 10 June Cologne, Germany Lanxess Arena Monday 12 June Hamburg, Germany Barclays Arena Tuesday 13 June Frankfurt, Germany Festhalle Thursday 15 June Bordeaux, France Arkea Arena Saturday 17 June Birmingham, UK Utilita Arena Monday 19 June London, UK The O2 Thursday 22 June Glasgow, UK OVO Hydro Friday 23 June Manchester, UK AO Arena Sunday 25 June Dublin, Ireland 3Arena