Clear the Lane

Like usual, I’m a day or two late, but I just learned this morning that occasional Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zach de la Rocha has finally completed his debut solo album. He’s apparently not with a label right now and is deciding how best to distribute the as-yet-untitled disk.

Sources familiar with the album tell Billboard “it features de la Rocha playing keyboards and that the sound is a hybrid of ‘Led Zeppelin and Dr. Dre. Some of it has the power you’d expect from him in Rage.’” The album will also feature former Mars Volta member Jon Theodore on drums.

De la Rocha has been working on this album since he left Rage in 2000. Over the past seven years, he has collaborated with such hip-hop stars as Chuck D, the Roots, and KRS-ONE, to name just a few. It's not known if any of those artists will appear on the upcoming album.

And, of course, there was the Rage reunion at Coachella earlier this year. The performance was initially thought to be a one-off, but that was cast into doubt following Chris Cornell's exit from Audioslave. Four more performances are planned as part of the Rock The Bells Festival with the Wu-Tang Clan. It was also recently announced that Rage Against the Machine would play at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans this October.

I don’t have anything from the new Zach de la Rocha album (yet!), but I do have a couple of things you may not have heard. The first two come from a boot called Keep It Zipped. For once, I’m gonna show some love for my source and tell you I found these songs at a blog called Wake Your Daughter Up. If you check that blog, Travis has posted eight additional tracks.

The next two are Rage b-sides. “Darkness” is the b-side of “Killing in the Name,” and “Clear the Lane” the b-side of the “Vietnow” single.

The last track is an alternate version of “Bombtrack.” It’s labeled as acoustic, but that’s not strictly correct. I don’t really know where it came from, but I’ve had it for years. Actually, I’ve had it so long, it’s possible I got it from the original Napster.

We Want it All.mp3
March of Death.mp3
Darkness.mp3
Clear the Lane.mp3
Bombtrack (alt version).mp3

Labels: rap, rock

posted by aikin @ 7:45 PM