New Mike Dillon Album Features Elliott Smith, Neil Young & Martin Denny Covers

On April 29, Mike Dillon will release his latest studio album, Functioning Broke via Royal Potato Family. Dillon recorded music more personal and committed to a sustained mood than past efforts on Functioning Broke which finds Mike alone on vibraphone, mallet instruments and various percussion, building each track into its own minimalist, but multi-dimensional auditory landscape.

The 12-track effort includes Mike Dillon re-imagining six Elliott Smith compositions, including “Behind The Bars,” “Christian Brothers” and “Independence Day,” Neil Young’s “The Needle & The Damage Done,” Martin Denny’s “The Enchanted Sea” as well as four originals. Listen to one of those originals, “Half Right”:

“I had been playing around with Elliott Smith songs as I enjoyed the harmonic movement of his songwriting. So in between Primus tours last year, I went into the studio and started tracking the various members of the mallet and percussion family like marimba, xylophone, timpani, orchestral bells, tubular bells, tabla and congas,” explained Dillon about the genesis of the album in a press release. “We got together every couple of months and would layer the instruments as the song demanded. What I originally thought was a fun little side project quickly became something that my pals said I should complete and release as a proper album.”

Mike Dillon’s Functioning Broke can be pre-ordered on vinyl or CD here.