cover: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

"Each Heart String of Mine is Broken in Time"
Last night at Union Hall The Tallest Man on Earth, a Swede who is clearly steeped in and obsessed with American folk culture, covered the traditional "Goodbye Dear Old Stepstone." While not so much a shot at the Tallest Man, it was fairly obvious that his status as a foreigner truly impeded his version of the traditional, as if something was seriously lost in translation. Upon getting home, I immediately fired up Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's heartbroken and battered version of the song. Recorded for Daytrotter nearly 3 years ago, Bonnie Billy noted that "Bernard Lamar Lunsford learned this song in 1904 from Miss Lela Ammons of Robinsville, North Carolina. I learned it from Lunsford's recording." One listen to Will Oldham's version of the Appalachian folk song, and it's clear that nothing is lost in translation.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Goodbye Dear Old Stepstone (via Daytrotter)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy "Goodbye Dear Old Stepstone" on KCMP

cover: Tallest Man on Earth "These Days"

"I've Stopped My Rambling"

(Photo by Karl Gunnarsson)
We've discussed "These Days" before and probably don't need to go into details about a song that is adored by nearly everyone whose ears are lucky enough to hear it. However, last week, The Tallest Man on Earth helped revive a song that, while still very much adored, has sort of become ubiquitous in the post-Royal Tenenbaums world. The Tallest Man on Earth's version is true to the original. To be honest, I can't really note any real difference between his cover and the many that have been recorded over the past 30+ years. Regardless, his version was quite moving, and a lovely segue into a magical set from Bon Iver. I enjoyed it so much that I picked up The Tallest Man on Earth's Shallow Grave after the show and it's proving to be a great mid-December album, perfect for the looming transition into Winter. Plus, it really compliments the smell of Nova Scotian pine (ie. the Canadian Christmas tree in my living room). Peep Hooves on the Turf's video of his performance below.

Tallest Man on Earth: These Days (cover) from hoovesontheturf.