With this album, however, they seem to want to represent something more clearly: the futility of life. Yo La Tengo’s records have often alluded to some greater message, whether it be personal, universal or even pop-cultural. It’s hard not to interpret this methodology as the band taking a stand against the inescapable isolation that we all experienced during quarantine, and this sentiment serves the songs on “This Stupid World” beautifully. Somewhere along the line, the decision was made that these new songs ought to be recorded as they were conceived: live and all together.
#Femme fatale the velvet underground series
Entirely self-produced by band members Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, much of the material on this album came from a series of rehearsals that took place throughout the pandemic. While they have always excelled at capturing the frenetic sound of their live shows when recording, this latest record has a particularly malleable quality to it. Just as likely to cover a Grateful Dead song as they are to burst into Sun Ra or the theme song from Hanna Barbera’s “The Banana Splits,” the secret ingredient to their longevity has always been their freewheeling, unpretentious versatility. Yo La Tengo has taken elements of the best bands of the last 70 years - including the ones they themselves inspired - and mixed it all with a pastiche of oddball Americana and an affinity for artists like Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground. Their latest album, “This Stupid World,” feels like one of their most progressive and direct to date. Learn more at Patreon.Few bands remain as description-defying as Yo La Tengo, the three members of which are now closing in on their 40th year together. There are a bunch of exclusive perks only for patrons: playlists, newsletters, downloads, discussions, polls - hell, tell us what song you would like to hear covered and we will make it happen. Cover Me is now on Patreon! If you love cover songs, we hope you will consider supporting us there with a small monthly subscription.
#Femme fatale the velvet underground full
Check out the cover of “Femme Fatale” below, and buy/stream the full I’ll Be Your Mirror record this Friday here.Ĭheck out many more covers of The Velvet Underground.Ĭheck out more covers by Sharon Van Etten. The vocal that she contributes elevates the song in a way that I couldn’t do on my own and it also represents how she has lifted me up since the day I first reached out.Īs with many of the I’ll Be Your Mirror preview tracks released to-date - among them, covers from Kurt Vile, Matt Berninger, and Courtney Barnett - Van Etten’s cover feels understated, novel and still entirely in step with The Velvet Underground’s volatile spirit. I was confiding in Angel Olsen a lot at the time of recording this, and needing direction, looking for inspiration… this song marks the beginning of me getting the courage to ask Angel to collaborate with me. When I was asked to try a hand at covering Femme Fatale, my gut automatically wanted to go to a darker, ominous place, with a shadow of romance.
(Down in the mix, too, is Angel Olsen on background vocals.) Van Etten’s titular subject is no longer just some passerby, observed at a cool remove - she’s a mighty force. In lieu of the original’s delicate arrangement, “Femme Fatale” here features a churning wash of low feedback and trudging piano chords, moving like a big tide. What sets Van Etten’s cover apart though are the massive currents of noise that she runs beneath the surface. The version of the Velvet Underground classic sounds expansive and restless, with a resolute vocal performance from Van Etten that flows in long waves atop the song. Sharon Van Etten has released a cover on The Velvet Underground & Nico’s “Femme Fatale.” The cover comes from the forthcoming tribute record, I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico, produced by Hal Willner and, after an impressively long rollout, due for release this Friday.
0 kommentar(er)
