David Keenan’s mission statement as he penned the stories that populate his upcoming album ‘Modern Mythologies’ was to “try to make sense of things in these songs, the chaos and the wonder of my life and the wider world.” He approaches that concept as the central figure in his own narrative, his mythologisation of his experiences informed by a modernist prism of the Irish storytelling tradition. It’s an artistic ethos that he furthers with the new single ‘We Live, We Learn, We Love’ which comes ahead of the November 21st release of the album.
While the title ‘We Live, We Learn, We Love’ feels like a subversion of a motivational catchphrase, it’s actually a song informed by a lifetime of growth. David casts his mind inwards to confront his vulnerabilities head-on - a visceral form of self-learning via brutal acceptance of such weaknesses. He sets that internal dialogue to a production both barren in its simplicity and warm in its sound: mournful piano,
blues-tinged guitar textures and a sparse looped beat. The track’s focal point is a stripped-back spoken word rap in which every line feels a snapshot of a personal memory of his life or the society around him. Ultimately, it reveals that having the courage to self-analyse and learn is the only way to move forward.
David says, “I wanted to write a song that would map a whole lifetime of change, from teenage kid to present day using all the lyrical skill I could muster to achieve that progression. It’s a different style but like my hero Bowie said, ‘If you have the ability to work in different styles then use it!’ That’s always stayed with me.”
This is the fourth track to preview the ‘Modern Mythologies’ album after ‘Poison Water’, ‘50 Quid Man’ and ‘Amelioration’. Collectively they showcase the two levels of David’s style: the engaging gravelly soul and bar room live feeling that permeates his music, alongside lyrics which share nuances wisdoms of the world around him. It spans towering topics such as using creativity as the counterpoint to the societal self-destruction of the latter era of The Troubles through to the unsettling mix of chaotic living and determined resourcefulness of every small town’s local fixer, the ‘50 Quid Man’.
The album was David, who co-produced the set in three studios alongside Gavin Glass, Pete Baldwin and Cian Synnott. Its visual aesthetic was realised with cover art created in collaboration with Perry Ogden, a renowned photographer and filmmaker for Vogue, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.
‘Modern Mythologies’ is now available to pre-order / pre-save HERE. David’s official store offers a twelve-track black vinyl, while a sixteen-track digital deluxe edition will also be released.
David Keenan’s first step into a career in music came with the time-honoured tradition of playing solo acoustic sets across the pubs and clubs of Ireland. His first big break, however, came from the modern fortuity of going viral after a taxi driver filmed him singing his own song, ‘El Paso’, in a cab. Since then, David has carved out his own niche with a wealth of projects including three studio albums, nine EPs, a book of poetry, the ‘Words on Canvas’ / 'Focla ar Chanbhás' documentary, and a soundtrack to the Shia LaBeouf / Toby Kebbell film ‘Salvable’.
It has resulted in over 100 million streams, praise from Hozier and Glen Hansard, numerous festivals, and shows with the likes of Hozier, Dermot Kennedy, Glen Hansard, Counting Crows and Rodrigo y Gabriella. David has just commenced his ‘Chasing Myth’ headline tour, in which he is seeking local folklore and capturing the magic of the Irish pub experience as he visits an independent venue in every Irish province
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