MP3: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Tortoise play Springsteen - Thunder Road

Now this is a treat. I know it's not in line with the normal aims of my blog, and yes I knoooooow it's already been on a few good blogs already, but I just had to post this. It's a cover of Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road taken from a forthcoming all covers collaborative album from king of all things Americana Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (aka Palace, Palace Brothers, Will Oldham, half of Superwolf etc..) and the kings of all things electroindiedancey, Tortoise. A few tracks have leaked, and this is my fave so far.

I've only recently got into Springsteen. My problem was always that whenever I stuck on one of my parents LP's I was immediately struck by the horrific eightiesness of the production. But later, after checking out his first few albums, which are much more Dylany and far less eighties, I've started to reconsider the later stuff and get into it a bit more. Probably the best thing about this cover is that it lays bare the fantastic lyrics of a song that in its original incarnation just doesn't work for me. In fact someone on the Drowned In Sound forums recently said that his girlfriend, on hearing him listening to Thunder Road, asked why he was listening to Meatloaf. Point made.

I'd actually say this is probably one of the my favourite songs of the year (see also: Sleater Kinney/Entertain, Patrick Wolf/The Libertine, Sufjan Stevens/They Are Night Zombies!...). You should COMPLETELY ignore the review of it from Pitchfork. They're talking out of their arses again. This is just an amazing recording. Great arrangement, great performances, great production. Probably a better recording than the original to my ears.

Anyway the album is going to be called 'The Brave And The Bold', and unfortunately the release date has been put back to January 2006, which is reaaaaaally irritating when the few songs that have leaked are so good. The full tracklisting will be:

01. Daniel (Elton John)
02. The Calvary Cross (Richard Thompson)
03. That's Pep! (Devo)
04. It's Expected I'm Gone (the Minutemen)
05. Cravo e Canela (Milton Nascimento)
06. Some Say (I Got Devil) (Melanie)
07. Pancho (Don Williams)
08. Love Is Love (Lungfish)
09. On My Own (Quix*o*tic)
10. Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen)

I am excited. Enjoy.

Download: Thunder Road - MP3 5.18mb (rapidshare)