Covers of the one and only. Featuring some new faces to veterans of the folk game (and beyond). I never used to find covers that moved me like the originals but there are some beautiful and creative tracks on here in their own right, some complete reinventions. The originals are all genius obviously… Miss you, Elliott.
FCC 3, 6, 7, 11
1. Between the Bars – Tanya Donnelly (2:24) fairly by-the-books, but the Throwing Muses singer makes this sweeter and lighter than the original.
2. Ballad of Big Nothing – Julien Baker (2:55) on electric guitar, very dreamy, soft and romantic with a staggered time signature. it’s lovely, but I miss the anger of the “pinpoint eyes” line among other things.
3. *Pictures of Me – Amanda Palmer (3:37) FCC F*ck. piano track! Palmer preserves the bitterness and the upbeat rhythm of the original track with her cover. and I love that, because this is such a driving song. good stuff.
4. *Waltz #2 – J Mascis (3:00) wow. a full-band rock track a la Dino Jr. with a guitar solo and all. completely eschews the structure, even adds new and rather abstract lyrics. it’s barely recognizable but it rocks.
5. *Needle in the Hay – Juliana Hatfield (4:13) ahh, it’s a catchy pop song with keys and a drum machine!? that somehow respects the original?! plot twist: Richie Tenenbaum puts this on and has a dance party instead of slitting his wrists. I guess that’s okay.
6. Bled White – Yuck (3:12) FCC F*ck. band and track are well matched in this case – Yuck brings the high energy and punchiness they need to, but sadly any poignancy is lost in the distortion.
7. Say Yes – William Fitzsimmons (2:20) FCC sh*t, f*ck. oh Will Fitz, you’ve made this one fragile and lullabyesque, almost a little too sweet to handle. but still, beautiful.
8. *Miss Misery – Tomo Nakayama (3:17) never heard of this singer before and was happily surprised by this. his voice is Jon Brion meets Jason Schwartzman. apparently he recorded all instruments himself, here in Portland, pressed on a 4-track as an homage to the original. the result is earnest, warm, and deep.
9. *Waltz #1 – Escondido (3:26) a nice take, lush and layered with a nice horn intro. sweet female lead with male backing. not as heartbreaking as the original but nothing is.
10. Oh Well, Okay – Adam Franklin (2:23) sounds a little like if E. of Eels sang it. I like the electric angle and the grittiness in this version.
11. Condor Ave – Jesu & Sun Kil Moon (3:46) FCC sh*t. NOOO! why??? why’d they have to turn one of my favorites into some awful hipster garbage you’d hear at Urban Outfitters? I. hate. this. …but KZSU might dig.
12. Angeles – Waxahatchee (3:47) Katie Crutchfield replaced the fingerpicking with a Heavens-to-Betsy-like subdued grungy tune and her low restrained vocals. it’s a bit sleepy but I like it.
13. *Division Day – Lou Barlow (2:58) originally a 7”, this track embodies Elliott in his XO/one-man-Beatles mode. it’s so perfect for Lou to cover this, with its marriage of sunny melody and painful lyrics. he does it justice on ukulele with the right amount of dryness and ache.
14. *No Name #3 – Caroline Says (3:22) this is really nice. mellow and calming, understated. its vibe is definitely more pensive overcast beach daydream than rainy Portland porch after midnight.
15. *Easy Way Out – Wild Sun (2:58) sweet and tenderly sung, simply played on acoustic guitar. simple does it really. now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to listen to Elliott’s discography and cry for 5 hours that he’s not here. peace.