It seems Daniel Johnston’s going for a hi-fi sound on the forthcoming Is and Always Was, the legendary (and at one-time solitary) songwriter/artist’s first proper collection in six years. Shifting things up, Johnston worked closely with Beck/Brendan Benson/Eric Matthews/Paul McCartney/etc collaborator and former Jellyfish member Jason Falkner on the 11 tracks. Falkner also produced. You can get a taste of the fuller sound on “Freedom.” There are backups, slide guitar, well-oiled drums and the like, but his voice/lyrics remain the focal point. Anyway, fans of those early, affecting bedroom recordings shouldn’t fret: The ostensible album art is bare bones (sorry).

• Daniel Johnston – “Freedom”Download

The tracklist:

01 “Mind Movies”
02 “Fake Records of Rock and Roll”
03 “Queenie the Doggie”
04 “High Horse”
05 “Without You”
06 “I Had Lost My Mind”
07 “Freedom”
08 “Tears”
09 “Is and Always Was”
10 “Lost in My Infinite Memory”
11 “Light of Day”

Is and Always Was is out 10/6 via Eternal Yip Eye Music/High Wire Music. The tour:

09/03 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/04 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/05 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ The Venue
09/07 – Calgary, Alberta @ Knox United Church
09/08 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Meyer Horowitz Theatre
10/02 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/13 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/14 – New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
10/15 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/16 – Montreal, Quebec @ UK Fed
10/17 – Toronto, Ontario @ Mod Club
10/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
10/23 – San Diego, CA @ Cain’s
10/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
11/01 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde
11/02 – London, UK @ Union Chapel
11/03 – Manchester, UK @ Town Hall
11/04 – Edinburgh, Scotland @ Queens Hall
11/05 – Gateshead, UK @ The Sage
11/06 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
11/07 – Cardiff, Wales @ The Gate
11/08 – Bristol, UK @ Trinity Arts Center
11/11 – Den Bosch, Netherlands @ W2