Photo by Phil Shar
Renowned drummer of Radiohead fame, Philip Selway, announced his new solo album Strange Dance will be released on Feb. 24, 2023, via Bella Union. In conjunction with the news, Selway released a visualizer for the offering lead track “Check For Signs Of Life.”
Strange Dance marks Selway’s third solo record following his acoustic solo debut Familial (2010) and the more elaborate Weatherhouse (2014). Despite his esteem as a percussionist, Selway recused himself from drumming responsibilities on the 10-track LP, instead welcoming Valentina Magaletti to share her inventive approach and versatile techniques. The project also features a number of extraordinarily talented and respected musicians, including Hannah Peel, Adrian Utley, Quinta, Marta Salogni, Valentina Magaletti and Laura Moody.
“The scale of it was very deliberate for me, from the outset,” Selway said of the project, which he wrote at home on piano and guitar, displaying his decade of experience outside of Radiohead. “I wanted the soundscape to be broad and tall but somehow get it to wrap around this intimate vocal at the heart of it.”
The quality of the record is reinforced by the close nature of relationships with his contributors, both old and new: Moody and Quinta have known him for years, while the project marks one of the first with Utley. Of the collaborations, the English musician said, “There was a really lovely dynamic. Ideas happened easily. It was a really nice rapport between us all.”
Strange Dance was produced by Marta Salogni, and during the process of tracking the songs in the studio, abstract painter Stewart Geddes created a collection of impressionistic paintings in response to the sonic elements, one of which serves as the LP’s cover art.
“One of the things I’ve liked about this record is it’s me as a 55-year-old not trying to hide that fact,” added Selway. “It feels kind of unguarded rather than seeing that aging process as something that needs to be hidden.
“I wanted it to have that space so if you’re listening to it you can lose yourself in it,” he said in conclusion. “Almost like a refuge.”
Watch the visualizer “Check For Signs Of Life” below.
Strange Dance is available for pre-order here or below.
Strange Dance Tracklist
1. Little Things
2. What Keeps You Awake At Night
3. Check For Signs Of Life
4. Picking Up Pieces
5. The Other Side
6. Strange Dance
7. Make It Go Away
8. The Heart Of It All
9. Salt Air
10. There’ll Be Better Days