Op 9 september brengt Ed Kowalczyk zijn nieuwe album The Flood and the Mercy uit bij V2 Records. Op zeven van de elf nummers doet Peter Buck van R.E.M. mee en dat was voor Kowalczyk een droom die uitkwam: “It’s been no secret to my fans that I simply would not be doing this if it weren’t for R.E.M. and the incredible inspiration they were to me in the beginning of my musical career’. Naast Buck horen we op het album ook singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata. Over haar zegt Kowalczyk: ‘I was instantly entranced by her voice from the moment I heard it,’ zegt Ed, ‘our voices blend together in a way that is hard to describe; in fact, I think they are strangely similar, very Yin and Yang.”
Kowalczyk kende de afgelopen jaren moeilijke tijden, maar ervoer ook dat uit dramatische gebeurtenissen veel mooie en positieve dingen kunnen komen. Vaak tegelijkertijd. Het is de dynamiek tussen deze twee tegengestelde emoties die de voornaamste inspiratiebron voor The Flood and the Mercy vormt en het overkoepelende thema is. “The Flood and the Mercy is really about the fact that life can go through these dramatic periods of movement, maybe even suffering, while simultaneously revealing great truths about yourself — even strength that you never knew you possessed. I’ve never been one to write from overly specific times and places or experiences in my life. But on this record, it’s impossible not to hear that some of the more public struggles I’ve faced have made their way into the overall inspiration behind the themes and lyrics of some songs. It’s been a difficult past few years for me as well as a time of intense change and positivity. I think the record expresses both of these opposite dynamics that have been at play in my life.”, aldus Kowalczyk.
Lees ook het uitgebreide interview dat Maxazine afgelopen juni met de zanger hield.