Chit-Chat Check-In #141 • Transcript
I recorded two covers this week.
One is by Lhasa de Sela. I did my best. If you listen, I think you’ll hear the difference between a real singer, who adds all kinds of beautiful melodies within syllables, and me. I try to get better at singing, and one of the ways I do so is by trying to cover songs by a beautiful voice like Lhasa de Sela’s. And I think I communicated the song, but boy, when I listen back to her version, mine feels like a little kid trying to draw the Mona Lisa from memory.
Then I made an acoustic version of a George McCrae song that Yo La Tengo covered. Mine is somewhere between those two versions. I guess it leans more heavily on the repetitive vocal part that Yo La Tengo does in their version. I tried to get the guitar to do that. I hope you’ll enjoy.
Carry on. OxO—Jeffy
Rec-Sec
Lhasa by Lhasa de Sela is a beautiful record from 2009. It was made when she was very ill, and she didn’t manage to stay alive long enough to tour for it. So it kind of went under the radar for a little while. But I think a lot of people have discovered it in recent years. It’s a beautiful, beautiful record. You should check it out if you don’t know about it.
Baby by Dijon is probably something everybody knows about, because they were just on Saturday Night Live. But that’s some pretty interesting stuff you should check out.
This Week in Wilco, Etc.
1996 / December 8: Wilco plays a different Loft—this one in Berlin, Germany—where they perform a 22-song set which closes with a cover of Carole King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.”
2022 / December 9: The 20-LP For the Birds: The Birdsong Project boxed set is released (Search Party/Downtown Music), including “Bell Minor” by Jeff.
2024 / December 13: Jeff is interviewed by Jessica Paxton on The Current on Minnesota Public Radio. They discuss the power of practice and imagination and talk about classic books.
“Is Anything Wrong” (Lhasa de Sela cover)
