We don’t usually cover the Southern/Outlaw Country here at all but when asked if we were interested in streaming Shooter Jennings’ new single “Wake Up” from his upcoming release Black Ribbons we couldn’t pass it up. I had been reading that Jennings was taking a different direction on this new release and was going to try more of a “60′s/70′s psychedelic rock vibe”. You have my attention.

It’s obvious that Jennings is trying to break into a new field. He replaced long time band .357′s with new band Hierophant and ventured into uncharted territory by playing The Warped Tour over the summer alongside with all those tatted punk kids.

Over the course of the past few years, the .357’s and I have had a great run blending country and roots music with modern sounds,” says Jennings. “But we did everything we could given the direction we were going. Now it’s time for a new adventure. With Hierophant, I’m free to take everything—sounds, words, images—wherever I want. Without genre restrictions, we’re building environments of sound that take the listener down a road of no return. It’s hard and it’s loud and the message behind it is just as important to me as the music itself.

The album so far has gotten mixed reviews depending on what camp you’re in. The Old Country camp is calling foul while the New Country camp is welcoming the new sound.

What do I think of the track you ask being the indie music snob that I am? I love it. Where country usually loses me is with the twang and songs of lost dogs and dependable trucks. “Wake Up” has none of this. Instead there are Pink Floyd influences around every turn. From the promised psychedelic organ lines and reverberating lyrics such as “They teach you that you’re just a number/As they program you in school”. If this is a prime example of what Black Ribbons holds for us then count me in.

Black Ribbons is out March 3rd and “Wake Up” will be released digitally on December 22nd along with a b-side remix called “Wake Up (Pig Flu Mix)”. Apparently the artwork and tracklist are being kept under lock and key as there is an “interesting and unexpected collaboration” and a special guest that narrates the album.