Sharon Van Etten has released the second track from her double album celebrating her 2010 LP epic. The double album includes the original record and an LP of covers of her songs by other artists. Last week she released Big Red Machine’s version of “A Crime”, and this week, IDLES, my favourite boys from Bristol, take the spotlight with their cover of “Peace Signs”. And it’s a stormer.
Joe’s singing, Jon’s drumming and the whole band’s thundering performance turn Sharon’s sweet indie-folk melody into a chilling punk anthem, totally making it their own without compromising Sharon’s intent for a second.
epic Ten is out digitally on April 16 and physically on June 11 via Ba Da Bing. Each Thursday leading up to epic Ten’s release, Van Etten will share the album’s next cover song. Fiona Apple, Lucinda Williams, Big Red Machine, Courtney Barnett with Vagabon, and more also feature.
Van Etten has also announced epic Ten: the documentary and concert to benefit the Los Angeles venue, Zebulon. The film, which streams April 16 and 17, features Van Etten and her band performing epic in its entirety at Zebulon.
“epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist,” Sharon explains. “Going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music.”