Patti Smith will release a new album later this summer. The LP is called Banga and will be out on June 5 through Columbia Records. The first single from the album, "April Fool," featuring Television's Tom Verlaine, was released Tuesday on iTunes.
In a statement, the singer-songwriter dished on the album:
"There is an exploratory spirit in the songs that make up Banga, including a melodic overture imagining the voyage of Amerigo Vespucci to the New World in 1497 ('Amerigo'), a rock song for the people of Japan in the wake of last year's earthquake ('Fuji-san'), a classic ballad in memory of Amy Winehouse ('This Is the Girl'), an improvised meditation on art and nature ('Constantine's Dream') as well as a birthday song written for her friend Johnny Depp ('Nine')."
The album was recorded with Smith's regular collaborators, Tony Shanahan, Jay Dee Daugherty and Lenny Kaye; featured guests include Jack Petruzzelli and Smith's own children, Jackson and Jesse Paris.
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