Will Butler, younger brother of Win, was recognized most in the earlier days of Arcade Fire as wearing a helmet, drumming frantically on other members, and generally causing a ton of mischief during performances. There’s a heaping portion of that spirit in his first solo single, “Take My Side,” which will be released on the younger Butler’s debut solo record, Policy, next year.
Recorded at the revered Electric Lady studio (Jimi Hendrix’s old living room), Butler notes the influences of “American music” (that’s Violent Femmes, folks), along with “The Breeders, The Modern Lovers, Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson, The Magnetic Fields, Ghostface Killah. And John Lennon (I know, but it counts).”
“Music where the holy fool runs afoul of the casual world,” Butler adds.
That impressive list of references isn’t an empty promise; “Take My Side” is a whiskey-lit backcountry stomp with a razor-sharp edge and a touch of unhinged insanity, delivered by a frenzied guitar episode that frames Butler’s yelps, “Are you gonna be on my side, or their side?”
Do you like American music? Yeah, I like American music. It reminds me of me.
Policy is out March 20, 2015 on Merge Records.
