Page France and Cotton Jones frontman Michael Nau is keeping his active solo career going, and following 2017's Some Twist with a new album, Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread, on August 3 via Light in the Attic (pre-order). For some background on why Michael's backing band is credited in the title of this one:

The sprawling new album was recorded in Benny Yurco’s one-bedroom apartment in downtown Burlington, Vermont. Nau and his collaborators had a cool little set up going in Yurco’s spot — drums and bass took over the bedroom, the guitar amp in the bathroom, Nau’s vocals and piano in the living room, and a vibraphone in the kitchen. It’s the first time one of Nau’s records happened all in one place, and it feels most like a band record than ever before, he says; Nau and this particular group of musicians held it down together as a true team, which is why Nau named the record in their honor. Nothing more was added to it than what was recorded by Nau and the band in Yurco’s apartment. It didn’t feel like the right thing to do to mess with it post-facto, he adds. “It’s a documented live performance. It happened the way it happened, and that’s how it is.”

Michael also revisited some songs he wrote a while ago but never properly finished or released, and one of those is "On Ice," which we're premiering in this post. "I originally wrote it on a wurlitzer and the first recording of it was a drum machine, wurlitzer, & a bunch of vocals. I don't know why certain songs from that period came back to mind for this session but it feels nice to give them a home. I was in a rough place for a while after I did the 'Tall Hours...' record in '10 and there's so much music from that period that never got released because I couldn't get myself together. Redoing some with this group of musicians feels like a victory of sorts," Michael tells us, before adding, "It's one you can flail your stuff around to a bit. It's for trying to turn it around and repurpose the junk. The band really gets into a circular rhythm towards the end - that ending went on forever, beyond the fade… it's for keepin’ on." It's a quiet, humble little folk song, and it's gorgeous in its simplicity. Check it out, along with two other songs from the album, below.

Michael is playing Pickathon, and then heading out on tour from September through November. He's got a Brooklyn show happening 11/6 at Elsewhere (Zone One). TIckets for that show should be on sale soon. All dates are listed below.

Michael Nau -- 2018 Tour Dates

08.3-5.18 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon

09.16.18 – Leffinge, BE @ Leffingeleuren Festival

09.17.18 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord

09.18.18 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine Berghain *

09.19.18 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen *

09.20.18 – Hamburg, DE @ Reeperbahn Festival

09.21.18 – Utrecht, NL @ Ekko*

09.24.18 – Bristol, UK @ The Louisiana

09.25.18 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers

09.26.18 – London, UK @ Hoxton Sq. Bar & Kitchen

09.27.18 – Paris, FR @ Le Pop-Up Du Label*

09.28.18 – Dunkerque, FR @ We Will Folk You Festival

09.29.18 – Masstricht, NL @ Muziekgieterij

09.30.18 – Dormund, DE @ Way Back When Festival

10.09.18 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge#

10.10.18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge#

10.12.18 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern#

10.14.18 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios#

10.16.18 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord#

10.18.18 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Wayfarer#

10.19.18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge#

10.20.18 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah#

11.01.18 – Washington, DC @ DC9

11.02.18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe

11.05.18 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs

11.06.18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Zone One at Elsewhere

11.08.18 – Goshen, IN @ Ignition Garage

11.09.18 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s

* w/Odetta Hartman

# w/ Erin Rae