What do Chan Marshall and Filipino boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao have in common? The two teamed up for Marshall's latest release as Cat Power on Christmas Eve, as Marshall promised to her Twitter followers earlier in the week. The seven-minute track features minimal instrumentation—percussive strikes on a heavily delayed electric guitar, a steady kickdrum and subdued bass. The drama of Marshall's vocals stands out especially in this kind of isolation, just as the music video's isolated fix on Pacquiao's slow motion punching bag practice reveals the intensity and meditation of the melodies. "King Rides By" is the first new track we've heard from Cat Power since her last album from 2006, The Greatest, after which she told Rolling Stone she wanted to play all the instruments on the next record herself. If you go to the Cat Power site to download an mp3, all donations go to the Festival of Children Foundation, a partnership of children's charities, and The Ali Forney Center, which provides housing for homeless LGBT youth. Watch the video after the jump.
