Tori Amos fans, prepare to salivate: The song-goddess is officially back, armed with a new album and a new tour.
“Night of Hunters,” due out on September 20, 2011, is Tori’s 12 th studio album and first album since 2009’s “Midwinter Graces.”
Amos always astounds in her brave musical choices and willingness to change her sound, and so, fans should definitely be expecting something different from “Night of Hunters.”
For one, the album was created under the Deutshe Grammophon record label; a renowned label for classical music. The record’s musical theme is supposedly influenced by several individual classical compositions from the past 400 years, including those of Bach, Chopin, Granados, Satie and Schubert.
In addition, the album was recorded using strictly acoustics, featuring only string and woodwind instruments, and of course, Tori’s piano and vocals. Recorded in Cornwall, UK, with musicians like Andreas Ottensamer and the string quartet Apollon Musagete, this is the first Tori album to use only these means.
Says Tori of the album: “One of the main themes explored on this album is the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us — I have used the structure of a classical song cycle to tell an ongoing, modern story. The protagonist is a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship. In the course of one night she goes through an initiation of sorts that leads her to reinvent herself allowing the listener to follow her on a journey to explore complex musical and emotional subject matter.”
“I decided to take it to a place that I understood and a place that has mythology, because good song cycles — there’s a level of otherworldliness — that’s why it works. To me, if it doesn’t have a poetic subtext going on, and the characters don’t come in that take us on some kind of spiritual quest, then I don’t think it will last for 50 years or 100 years. It has to transcend time in a way — and yet reflect the time you’re in.” (For the full interview, click here ).
Here is a list of rumored album tracks and song titles :
01. Shattering Sea
02. Snowblind
03. Battle Of Trees
04. Fearlessness
05. Cactus Practice
06. Star Whisperer
07. Job’s Coffin
08. Nautical Twilight
09. Your Ghost
10. Edge Of The Moon
11. The Chase
12. Night Of Hunters
13. Seven Sisters
14. Carry
Of course, none of these are yet official. But the titles alone are enticing enough, reinforcing Tori’s knack for nature, myth and biblically-based themes .
“Night of Hunters” will be released in digital format, on limited edition vinyl, and the standard/deluxe CD formats.
Lucky for us, Amos will be touring in support of the new album. All tickets are now on-sale.
Here are the 2011 US and Canada tour dates thus far (For international dates, click here ):
Nov 29
Atlanta, GA US
Cobb Energy Performance Arts Centre
Dec 1
Philadelphia, PA US
Academy of Music
Dec 2
New York, NY US
Beacon Theatre
Dec 3
New York, NY US
Beacon Theatre
Dec 5
Washington, DC US
Constitutional Hall
Dec 6
Boston, MA US
Orpheum Theater
Dec 8
Toronto, ON CAN
Massey Hall
Dec 10
Chicago, IL US
Chicago Theatre
Dec 13
Vancouver, BC CAN
Orpheum Theater
Dec 14
Seattle, WA US
Paramount Theatre
Dec 16
Oakland, CA US
Paramount Theatre
Dec 17
Los Angeles, CA US
Orpheum Theatre
Dec 18
Los Angeles, CA US
Orpheum Theatre
Dec 21
Austin, TX US
Bass Concert Hall
Dec 22
Dallas, TX US
Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
As mentioned previously, “Night of Hunters” will mark the first time in over a decade that the artist will use new backing musicians in the studio, but also on tour as well. Amos has stated that she plans on reinventing some of her older songs in addition to performing those off the new album.
Says Tori of touring: ” — Each night it has to be a little bit of a different narrative but one that still works with the idea of a shattering that happens, and then each night we find something. And depending on what’s happening in the world, we don’t know what fragments we need to reclaim. It might be compassion, it might be intelligence, it might be fury. That’s what the woman is doing in Night of Hunters — she’s reclaiming parts of her soul.”
So, Tori fans everywhere, what do you think? Are we in store for a rock opera? A song-cycle of interweaving emotions? A mythical journey through story-telling? Is the original theater aspect of ‘concept albums’ returning to music in the mainstream? [The last song-cycle album I can recall was David Bowie’s “Outside” (1995).]
No matter what, Tori knows how to put on an amazing live show, and we all know she carries little pianos on her fingertips. Classical music with Tori on piano? Sounds brilliant.
For more info on the artist, click here .