Weekly World News releases its first album
When the coronavirus quarantine was first declared, Boyce Day, a Weekly World News reporter (you’ve seen his pieces on the site for years), found himself separated from the important people in his life: his girlfriend, his mentor, his rare-books dealer. Day started writing poems and lyrics about his experience. Sal Donato, our resident Weekly World News composer and songsmith (you’ve seen his songs on the site for years), was also isolated, stuck inside his mansion with his piano. He began composing short piano pieces.
And then, in April of 2020, the two men reached out to each other on Zoom and partnered on a set of songs about the entire quarantine and pandemic experience: the depths of loneliness, the surfacing into false hope, the slow climb toward real hope. The titles of these ten songs convey the range of emotions addressed: “Alone In It,” “Standing Away,” “Modern World.” And now we have the album that contains those (and other) songs. Title Alone Voice, It marks Weekly World News’s first foray into pop music.
‘”I couldn’t be more excited,” says Day.
“I agree,” says Donato.
TOUCHING EVERYONE
These songs are only raw demos, created with socially-distanced technology, without any papering over of what was being thought and felt at the moment. Day sent his lyrics to Donato, who sent songs back to Day. In this imperfect, spartan manner, the two managed to chronicle one of the most difficult periods in American history. The Weekly World News knows that we’re all in this together, and always have been. The songs are not, for the most part, concerned with political policies but rather with human emotions. Albert Folksenvicht, a sociologist who has consulted with the WWN and has written extensively on the way that pop culture is valuable for its ability to summarize and communicate the common portions of complex social experiences, could not be reached for comment.
“I hope these songs touch everyone,” says Donato.
“I agree,” says Day.
The Weekly World News will donate a portion of proceeds from this album to charity.
You can get the record on ALL digital music distribution sites. Here are three:
Spotify:
SPECIAL OFFER
But there’s more. The publication also invites performers in all genres to cover the songs and submit their cover versions to us via email: editor@weeklyworldnews. The WWN plans to release a follow-up compilation of the best and more interesting cover versions.
“Could not be reached for a comment.” LMAO.