DESERT SESSIONS VOLS. 11 & 12 ARRIVEDERCI DESPAIR TIGHTWADS & NITWITS & CRITICS & HEELS

DESERT SESSIONS

VOLS. 11 & 12
ARRIVEDERCI DESPAIR
TIGHTWADS & NITWITS & CRITICS & HEELS

OUT NOW ON MATADOR RECORDS

FEATURING JOSHUA HOMME, CARLA AZAR, MATT BERRY, LES CLAYPOOL, BILLY F. GIBBONS, LIBBY GRACE HACKFORD, TÖÔRNST HÜLPFT, MIKE KERR, STELLA MOGZAWA, JAKE SHEARS, MATT SWEENEY

WATCH THE OFFICIAL “CRUCIFIRE” VIDEO HERE
Directed by Anthony Schepperd

Photo Credit: Andreas Neumann

“One of the project’s most impressive lineup of players”  —THE NEW YORK TIMES

“The latest volume in the (and first in 16 years) sees Homme bringing together another impressive hodgepodge of artists” —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 

Ending a 16-year hiatus since its last installment, the most mythical, longest running rock n roll mixtape odyssey in existence, Desert Sessions has finally returned: The most ambitious entries yet in its expansive and elusive catalog: Vols. 11 & 12 (a/k/a respectively as Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels) are now available across digital and streaming services via Matador Records. 

Highlights of the eight-song two-session collection include the creeping slowburn boogie of “Move Together” with its sublime Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) vocal, the propulsive rocker “Crucifire” fueled by an incendiary vocal performance from  Mike Kerr (Royal Blood), the self-explanatory “Chic Tweetz” featuring the enigmatic Töôrnst Hülpft, and the lush melodies of grand finale “Easier Said Than Done” featuring a showstopping vocal from ringleader Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age).

Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12 also arrive in a limited edition first vinyl pressing including a one of a kind custom mix & match body swap booklet. Exclusive merchandise bundles are available for pre-order now at: https://desertsessions.ffm.to/vols11and12

Vols. 11 & 12 were recorded (mostly) in December 2018 at Rancho De La Luna studios in Joshua Tree, CA, with Queens of the Stone Age founder and Desert Sessions ringleader/producer Joshua Homme enlisting a cast of players including:

      Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
      Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint)
      Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters)
      Mike Kerr (Royal Blood)
      Carla Azar (Autolux, Jack White)
      Les Claypool (Primus)
      Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf, Endless Boogie)
      Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows, Toast of London)
      Libby Grace
      Töôrnst Hülpft

The resultant eight new songs that embody the legacy of freedom from expectations and inhibitions that stretches back to 1997, when Homme led a first retreat to the Joshua Tree desert. What began as a casual writing and recording session amongst friends—isolated from daily distractions and comforts—has since become a possibly infinite body of work. Now spanning 12 volumes over the course of two decades (and a total of two documented live performances), The Desert Sessions has featured some of music’s most cherished icons—past players have included Polly Harvey, Mark Lanegan, Josh Freese, Dean Ween, among many others—deliberately removing themselves from their comfort zones and working together to create some of their most relaxed yet challenging work.

The tracklist for Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12 (a/k/a Arrivederci Despair and Tightwads & Nitwits & Critics & Heels) is:

      Move Together (lead vocal: Billy F. Gibbons)
      Noses in Roses Forever (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)
      Far East for the Trees
      If You Run (lead vocal: Libby Grace)
      Crucifire (lead vocal: Mike Kerr)
      Chic Tweetz (vocals: Töôrnst Hülpft, Matt Berry)
      Something You Can’t See (lead vocal: Jake Shears)
      Easier Said Than Done (lead vocal: Joshua Homme)