LA singer-songwriter Greg Laswell has a rare gift for employing metaphor, mystery and honesty with equal acumen. Indeed, those that have spent time with his music over the years have had the distinct privilege of sharing profoundly personal moments with him – even as he left just enough open to interpretation.
Yet when he reimagined songs by the likes of Kate Bush, Kristin Hersh, and Echo & the Bunnymen for his 2009 album Covers, he revealed something else entirely by means of divulging his own most essential musical influences. A decade later, he is revisiting that undertaking with Covers II (set for release on September 13th) – which finds him this time communing with Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey, The Verve, even Peter Gabriel.
Of course, it’s not a secret that a startling number of cover versions seem little more than exercises in redundancy, mimicry and pointlessness. But Laswell approaches each of these songs with an appropriate measure of reverence, yet also with the ultimate intent of claiming every one for his own.
His 2018 album Next Time, which Popmatters said “brims with introspective imagery,” was arguably his most accomplished to date. But it was 2009’s Covers that still seemed like so much unfinished business. So, Covers II could not be coming at a better time, to reignite the dialogue about those that have influenced him and continue to do so.
On a handful of the album’s songs, Laswell collaborates with accomplished singer-songwriter Molly Jenson. One of those is a take on Norwegian electropop duo Röyksopp’s “Something In My Heart”, and today we are offering an exclusive premiere of it right here on Glide. Compared to the original, which makes creative use of wonky beats and brooding synths to complement the delicate vocals, Laswell goes for a gothic chamber pop sound. With minimal instrumentation, mostly provided by a haunting cello groove, the focus is put on the vocal interplay between Laswell and Jenson as they trade verses. This transforms the song from a more singular meditation to a lyrical and musical conversation between two estranged lovers. The effect is that of an anxious waltz with a restive string section intensifying the sense of longing.
Laswell describes the choice and inspiration behind covering this particular tune:
“I’m new to Röyksopp. ‘Something In My Heart’ was the only song on this EP that I hadn’t heard. My manager Nicole put it on her list of possibilities for the record. I read the lyrics first…and then upon first listen, I knew I would cover it and make it a duet. It simply felt like something I would’ve written, which allowed me to pretend like I did. Thankful to have come across it, and thankful for my new Röyksopp fan card. I made it a duet, as there’s something terribly sweet and manageable about both people suffering because their relationship isn’t working out.”
LISTEN:
Photo credit: Chad Calhoun
One Response
Thst was pretty, almost as pretty as the original.