Today, Ani DiFranco releases Unprecedented Sh!t, produced by BJ Burton (Bon Iver, Low), on her label, Righteous Babe Records. The title Unprecedented Sh!t is not only representative of how much of a sonic departure the 11-track album is from Ani’s other work, but also a political and social commentary on the current state of the world. Find the album here: https://righteousbabe.ffm.to/unprecedented-sht
Ani shares:
“towards the end of 2023, i finished my 23rd album. having always had a fondness for 3, i enjoyed the feel of it. i was born on 23. but the waiting between finishing a record and seeing it released (which has always been excruciating) saw the year turn over. thankfully, 2024 has kept me well distracted. and now, ‘unprecedented sh!t’ is finally seeing the light of day.
23 records in 33 years, though my pace wasn’t exactly steady. during the making of the first 22 records, you could mostly find me wearing a lot of hats, but the hat-balancing act has gotten old. self-sufficiency giveth and self-sufficiency taketh away. for this album, i just knew i didn’t want to be questioner and answerer, both. i wanted somebody to sit next to me, in the cockpit, to explore other worlds.
we lead such noisy lives, the presence of machines is everywhere, and i’ve long wanted that presence to show up in my art, in a palpable way. the only thing i knew at the onset of this record, was that i wanted to harness the power of technology in a new way and i needed a collaborator who could really take me there. i found that collaborator in bj burton. bj lives and operates in the world of machines and has an immense facility engaging creatively and intuitively therein. i feel blessed that he offered himself as my co-pilot.
so, i recorded the songs at home - some with just guitar and voice and some with overdubs, and i sent the tracks to bj. what came back, amazed me - the soundscapes he was able to create, using very elemental raw materials. sometimes he just let the song stand there naked and did very little, making the album a study in contrasts. simplicity and bombasity (attention mr. webster! new word alert!), noisiness and quiet, rub elbows a lot along the way.
anyway, i can’t believe this sucker is finally coming out today! thanks bj and thanks to all who listen. i hope you dig this (unprecedented) shit!
big love all around.”