Following the announcement of Blue Mountain, Bob Weir’s first studio album in over a decade and first album of completely original material in over 30 years, the Grateful Dead guitarist released the first track from the album, “Only A River.”
The song, recorded with The National’s Aaron Dessner on electric guitar and Scott Devendorf on bass and vocals, was written in collaboration with Josh Ritter and premiered on NPR, and gives a promising foretaste of what’s to come.
Though the atmospheric soundscape and repetitive vocals are telltale signs of a collaboration with The National, the vocals and overall vibe are pure Weir. It’s an incredible song, and with the success of GD50 and Dead & Company, fans probably shouldn’t be too surprised.
Other musicians featured on the song include singer Josh Kaufman, Ray Rizzo, and famed producer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Burger.
Listen to the song below, and look for Blue Mountain’s release on September 30.
