Neil Young is reportedly prepping a new, orchestral album for release in November. Said to be titled Storytone, the singer’s second release of 2014 comes as he negotiates a divorce from Pegi, his wife of 36 years.



Although Young has yet to officially announce this 35th long-player, fans observed a big clue on the official website of Chris Walden, a German-born composer and arranger: among Walden’s “recent projects”, he notes arrangements for an “upcoming Neil Young album, Storytone (out Nov 4)“. Since then, ABC News Radio has drawn attention to the Facebook page of music contractor Gina Zimmitti, who posted photos of Walden and Young’s recent recording sessions.



“First day recording Chris Walden’s fantastic arrangements for Neil Young,” Zimmitti wrote on 19 August. “We don’t feel cheesy calling this one a ‘precious moment’.” Subsequent posts included a photograph of Young’s signature Lincoln Volt and a reference to “loud big band arrangements” with producer Niko Bolas.



Bolas has produced songs for many of Young’s past albums, including Fork in the Road, Living with War, Rockin’ in the Free World and This Note’s for You. Walden, meanwhile, is known for his big band and orchestral arrangements, working with everyone from Andrea Bocelli to Mitch Winehouse. It’s safe to assume that the title Storytone refers to the RCA Storytone, introduced in 1939, which is considered the world’s first practical electric piano.

In a speech earlier this year, and then again in a recent interview with Billboard, Young expressed his interest in making an orchestral album using a single, possibly mono, microphone. “To me that’s a challenge and it’s a sound that’s unbelievable, and you can’t get it any other way,” he said. “If it’s not right ... [you] move the bass closer. It’s not loud enough? Move the amp closer, then! ... We’re not going to mix it: we’re going to do it, and mix it while we do it.”

In April, Young released A Letter Home, recorded with Jack White in a 67-year-old, bare-bones recording booth. He is also completing work on Special Deluxe, a new memoir due out with Viking Hardback on 30 October.