My new release is “Red Light,” from the Dancing on the Moon EP. The song is about three things: 1) the day I found out that the master tapes of my two bands Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic had burned in the infamous Universal Music fire (the red light of the fire seen from the clouds); 2) my love for recording on tape despite #1 (thus the red light of the title); and 3) my Mom’s memory loss – almost as though her master tapes are being gradually erased. In the video, the ghosts of all these vanishing things are played by a yellow 1971 Ford Mustang and my daughter in a ghost costume in the passenger seat. Hope you love it. Directed by Yazz alali and edited by Sara Mulford. Shout out to Ethan Gruska and Jenny Owen Youngs for writing the song with me, and Ethan and John Mark Nelson for producing it with me.
“Red Light” – Official Music Video
Dancing On The Moon EP out now!
New Single – “Dancing On The Moon” – Official Music Video
My new single, “Dancing On The Moon” is out today!
I wrote the chorus at my piano, and it felt like a found object, like something I saw on the sidewalk and picked up. To me, it really does sound like a couple, marooned on a distant moon, trying to make contact with someone – anyone – and dancing under the super-lonely stars.
Working on the song, I wanted to convey the feeling that comes from being toe-to-toe with someone you care about. You might be with them out in the vast emptiness of space, yet you’re still completely dialed into each other and nothing else matters.
New Single – “On The Floor” (Perfume Genius Cover)
I’ve loved this Perfume Genius song since the first time I heard it. The more I listened, the more I loved it. When 2021 came to an end, it was one of a handful of songs at the very top of my “most listened” list – up there with “Go Easy, Kid” by Monica Martin and “Doin’ It” by Herbie Hancock. Good company. So I cut a version of it for my “Dancing on the Moon” EP. The EP is out in the fall, but this one is out now! I wish I’d written it myself.
Introducing: The Words + Music in 6 Seconds Deck by Dan Wilson
I’m really excited to announce this: The Words + Music in 6 Seconds deck!
I’ve collected the best of my social media advice clips into a compact and beautiful deck of cards, designed to be a creative tool for songwriters, musicians, and producers, as well as people in other creative fields. Each of the 74 cards has a simple, thought-provoking, and hopefully helpful nugget of advice, insight, or encouragement — all lessons that I’ve learned from my years on tour, in studios, rehearsal spaces, and writing rooms, and on stages around the world. I designed the cards with my friend and long-time visual collaborator Todd Gallopo, and we combined an artful seriousness of intent with a lighthearted vibe. We chose high-quality materials to create an object with enjoyable surfaces and colors that will be inviting to pick up and use.
The idea came when I told a friend I was thinking of creating a book using the quotes from my W+M6S online series. She said, “How about a deck of cards instead of a book?” I said, “Oh, like Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies deck?” She said, “I don’t know who that is.” Of course, I know who Brian Eno is, but I still loved the idea, and so I’ve tried hard to make sure the Words + Music in 6 Seconds deck is an entirely different animal than Eno’s studio-oriented advice cards. The W+M6S cards are about forging collaborative relationships, seeking a community, testing out ideas in front of an audience, and writing better songs. The world of collaboration is full of mystery for many of us, and the cards put a special emphasis on how to make the most of our time together in creative pursuits. I know those of you who use the deck will agree.
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