These Days

There are some songs so perfect that covers just shouldn't be attempted. I had, until yesterday, considered Jackson Browne's "These Days" one of them.

Some "These Days" facts:

Browne wrote it at sixteen! Which means he was crafting this lyrical poetry

I've stopped my dreaming
I won't do too much scheming these days
These days
These days I sit on cornerstones and count the time in quarter tones to ten
Please don't confront me with my failures
I had not forgotten them

at the same age that I was struggling to make eye contact with people in my Driver's Ed class.

There are three independently famous recordings of the song before the many post-1973 covers.

It was first recorded in 1967 by German model/Andy Warhol muse/sometimes Velvet Underground singer Nico for her album, Chelsea Girl.

Two versions were released in 1973. Browne's friend Gregg Allman recorded an arrangement for his album Laid Back that includes vocal harmonies, modified lyrics, and entirely different instrumentation.

Browne released his recording in '73 as well on For Everyman.

While all of these are independently awesome versions of the song, I'm partial to Nico's--probably because it is featured in one of the greatest movie scenes of all time.

And then the covers! Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent has a gorgeous voice, but her rendition doesn't do anything for me. I feel the same about this Tallest Man on Earth cover. While his voice is perfect on songs he has written, it detracts from the inherent beauty of the song. Due to my disappointment in two of my other favorite artists' versions, I almost didn't click on this cover by Robin Pecknold and Alela Diane…but I am so glad I did.

Their restrained harmonies show such a reverence for the song that I can't help but fall in love with it again. And their high five at the end is almost too precious to handle.

P.S. While Robin Pecknold has been a long-time favorite as lead singer of Fleet Foxes, Alela Diane is a new, welcome addition to my music library. If you want to hear some of her solo work, this recording of Lady Divine is a good place to start :)

Harmonies by Musician Friends

My rad roommate Allie and I had a revelation this weekend: our favorite performances are by musician friends who supplement each others' songs with harmonies. It's not quite a named genre yet, but we LOVE them. Here are some recent favorites:

Re: Stacks by Bon Iver feat. The Staves

I thought this For Emma, Forever Ago classic could not be improved until I heard it this way. If you don't like concert banter, jump to 1:02.

If you like what you hear of The Staves (how could you not?) their debut album is now live-streaming on the Guardian website. It's probably the best way to get a dose of them until their music is accessible stateside. 

New Slang by The Shins feat. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)

I have accepted the fact that I'll never know all the correct lyrics to this song, but it will always be a favorite. My roommate (she's actually the coolest) discovered this version the other day, and it rivals the original.

On a Good Day by Joanna Newsom feat. Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes)

This Have One on Me song is only a minute and a half but packed with killer lyrics. I definitely posted "Will you leave me be so that we can stay true to the path that you have chosen?" as my status in my high school Angsty Lyrics Status Stage multiple times. Don't pretend you were above that. If you're reading this blog, you probably had an ALSS, too.

Now listen to it supplemented by Robin Pecknold's beautiful vocals. Again, skip to 1:13 for a banterless vid.

The illest, right? In case you want to listen to that glorious minute and a half one more time, this is a cover I did of it last year during finals week with--you guessed it--my roommate, Allie.

Yay harmonies, yay musician friends, yay Allie, yay to the resurrection of this blog.