Between lockdown, the pandemic death toll, and The White House’s endless foibles, it’s hard not to feel completely burnt out on reality. That’s the kind of energy producer Jacknife Lee is channeling on his latest single, “I’m Getting Tired”, featuring Beth Ditto and Earl St. Clair.
With the help of his two collaborators, Lee turns all of his inner frustrations outward in the form of soulful chaos mixed with noise-rock and fiery jazz fusion and funk. The collision of genres may seem a little busy on paper, but Lee is a master of balancing everything out — after all, his production credits do include an array of artists, such as R.E.M., Taylor Swift, and The Killers, and Regina Spektor.
And at the end of the day, it’s that clashing of feelings and sounds that ultimately provides the catharsis we all so desperately need right now. You’re tired? We’re all damn tired. Might as well shout it from the rooftops.
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In a statement about the single, Lee said,
“I’d become obsessed with ‘Attica Blues’ by Archie Shepp from 1972. The intensity is relentless. It’s for the head, heart and feet. It has dissent imbedded in its DNA. I wanted to reach even a little bit of that when I started this track. Earl St Clair has an incredible voice and came over to the studio to hang out. We ate, listened to some records including ‘Attica Blues’ and then I played a beat I had. He wrote some words, sang and yelled on it and it became ‘I’m Getting Tired’. He captured the frustration and exasperation we were feeling with what was happening in the States.”
Speaking on Ditto’s contributions, the producer added, “I’d been working with Beth Ditto for a while. She has one of the most soulful voices of our time. I’m a crazy fan of her voice… all punk gospel wildness.”
Hear “I’m Getting Tired” below. The single is taken from an upcoming album, The Jacknife Lee, due out June 26th through Slow Kids Records. Open Mike Eagle, Aloe Blacc, Bibi Bourelly, and more are also set to appear.
