Okay, so have you all decided to purchase the album? No seriously, have you? One day I will have a super exclusive club and barrier to entry will be physical media of J. Tillman. You have been forewarned.
As you can see I am running out of intros to each day of covers.
Today we have another live take, an achingly beautiful slow burner and two where the artist felt that they might have taken a bit of liberty in their recording. In regards to the two that have taken liberty, I think they just might have been worried that my extreme penchant for acoustic music might sway me from their interpretations of the Tillman originals. As mentioned earlier, this is one of the great parts of this project, you get to hear the song as if by someone else’s ear. Now, I hope I didn’t lead up to this more than I should have…
Let us start with a song that premiered over at Cover Lay Down yesterday (see here). The song is Jamestown Bridge from our good friend Pickering Pick. I am going to say it – I think this might be my favourite cover from the whole project. I feel like I am picking my favourite child and that it simply is not something that you do. Just know that Sam Pickering Pick found a way to bring even more beauty into the quiet fragility of the original. Let this song sink in.
More Info on Pickering Pick: pickeringpick.com/ | yerbird.com/pickering-pick/
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Next is Seven States Across from Netherlandians The Black Atlantic. Geert van der Velde who fronts the band indicated he wanted to work with the song and explore both the song and his own sounds. What came of it is an ambient you-don’t-really-know-The-Black-Atlantic cover song. Recorded in the Adirondack Mountains and mixed via long distance internet sessions over the last few weeks, the song finds a new home bathed in ether with cinematic presence.
More Info on The Black Atlantic: theblackatlantic.com/ | facebook.com/theblackatlantic
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Our second live take of the project is from UK duo The Alpaca Jamboree who perform House Arms Built. They took a direct from the floor recording of the song that comes across as a truly Irish folk version of the original.
More Info on The Alpaca Jamboree: facebook.com/thealpacajamboree | youtube.com/user/TheAlpacaJamboree/videos
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You didn’t think we would have a project this large and not have the East Coast of Canada represented, did you? Jon Janes who records as The Mountains & The Trees brings his cover of Two Years On Film all the way West to Slowcoustic HQ. Janes, along with Geert of The Black Atlantic, felt that he might have swayed from the fully acoustic original. The song melds an electro-acoustic vibe and soundscapes well and opens new layers for the opening track of the original album.
More Info on The Mountains & The Trees: themountainsandthetrees.com/ | facebook.com/themountainsandthetrees | themountainsandthetrees.bandcamp.com/
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Tomorrow is the last day of the project and we will have another FIVE covers then! Again, you have been forewarned.
All covers to date can be found here: Long May You Run, J. Tillman Revisited Page
You can find the original J. Tillman album via iTunes: iTunes
A reprint on CD can be found via Fargo Records in France: Fargo Records Store
More covers continue through Friday. All week, all Tillman.
~Sandy (Smansmith)