Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single from The Mortal Prophets called “Born Under A Bad Sign.” The track comes from The Mortal Prophets’ new LP, Dealey Plaza Blues, that comes out everywhere music is sold on July 28th. I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview below.
”Born Under a Bad Sign,” by design, expresses a feeling of misfortune that’s all too real. What about this song drew you to it as a track you wanted to take a stab at for this LP?
Intuition and lust. I love this song; one could say even obsessed with it. Of course, “Born Under a Bad Sign,” is a well-known blues song originally written and recorded by Albert King in 1967. The lyrics to “Born Under a Bad Sign” were written by Stax Records rhythm and blues singer William Bell with music by Stax bandleader, none other than Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. & the M.G.’s). What really caught my attention are the lyrics, and how they express these profound feelings of dread, misfortune, and of course bad luck. I think the oddly elegiac music and vocals give it a strange new twist.
How would you best describe the full upcoming Dealey Plaza Blues, and what inspired its thematic basis?
The new album Dealey Plaza Blues, produced with Alexander Krispin (a protégé of Daniel Langois), explores new territories and is more experimental in nature, it also has a few original songs as well. I follow my intuition in terms of growth, experimenting with different genres and styles to crack open creative boundaries and preconceptions (including my own).
Genre-wise, you seem to bounce back and forth between a lot of different sounds and styles — in general, do you define your music, and particularly this record, by any specific descriptor? Or is it more fluid than that?
My current practice has been to work on a few projects (albums/EPs) simultaneously with different producers and musicians. So on one hand, it’s a continuation of the last album Me and the Devil, and on the other, it’s more experimental and edgy.Perhaps even darker, more manic. The same thematic or aesthetic framework still exists, working with different collaborators and new musicians always brings fresh perspectives to the creative process, unexpected sonic textures, and an expanded musical palette to draw from. I’m always a little surprised, and at the same time somewhat flattered, when people consider the music post-punk or post-art-rock. Ultimately, I’m trying to blur the boundaries, which allows me to move fluidly between various conceptual boxes. To be free to explore and go where the music takes me.