Giant Sand's Provisions Include Neko Case And M. Ward

As usual, Howe Gelb had a number of guest collaborators on the new Giant Sand album. It's a good thing he was stocked up with Provisions.

Recording and mastering for Provisions, the 20th-or-so studio effort that Gelb has made under the Giant Sand name, wrapped up late last month. There's no release date yet, according to an email sent to fans, but the singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist is looking to put it out in May on his own label.

"we shall be our own enemy," Gelb wrote in an annoyingly choppy and all lower-case style. "and that way it will lessen our chances of taking advantage of ourselves. if we are the problem then that's good news. we have a better chance of changing the problem. i should hope."

The Tucson, Arizona troubadour was joined on the 13-song, 53-minute record by Isobel Campbell, Neko Case, M. Ward, Hennriette Sennenvaldt, Lonna Kelley and Canadian singer Lucie Idlout.

"this album sounds like a band to me more then before," Gelb continued. "it has moments of interplay where the groove demands elbow room over the confines of song and verse."

Provisions includes "The Desperate Kingdom Of Love" by past Giant Sand collaborator PJ Harvey, Gelb explains, "because its simply one of the best songs ever written and came begging for a horn section to mope with."

Other former Giant Sand conspirators include Gelb's ex-wife and former Go-Go's bassist Paula Jean Brown, his daughter Indiosa Patsy Jean, Calexico's John Convertino and Joey Burns, Green On Red's Chris Cacavas, Victoria Williams, Juliana Hatfield, Vic Chesnutt, Steve Wynn, members of Poi Dog Pondering and The Bangles' Vicki Peterson.

Gelb has also released more than a dozen solo albums, four with the more country-leaning The Band Of Blacky Ranchette, a single disc via the OP8 collaboration with fiddling singer Lisa Germano, and one record under the Arizona Amp And Alternator banner.

Here are the songs on Provisions:

"The New Romance Of Falling"
"Stranded Pearl"
"Muck Machine"
"Without Saying"
"Spiral"
"World's End State Park"
"The Desperate Kingdom Of Love"
"Lucky Lava Hip"
"Can Do Love"
"Out There"
"Saturated Beyond Repair"
"Never Leave Well"
"Pitch & Sway"