Critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Julien Baker covered Radiohead’s Kid A opener “Everything In Its Right Place” during an XMU Live Session today. The session was mainly meant to promote her new album Little Oblivions, which debuts in full tomorrow, February 26 via Matador.
The cover is very faithful to Radiohead’s 2000 original, imitating it instrumentally as closely as she and her band could manage. Keys, steady kick drum and atmospheric electronics are all spot-on. Still, Baker’s vocal performance has its strengths and sets her rendition apart from the classic. It was always a haunting song, and the hypnotic pattern of the kick and the keys fits her voice quite well.
Baker also released “Heatwave” today, her last promotional single for Little Oblivions. She states she wrote it about her experience of being stuck in traffic, stressed about trivial details. Other singles from the record include “Faith Healer,” “Hardline” and “Favor” featuring Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers.
Bridgers also covered Radiohead back in September when she performed “Fake Plastic Trees” on BBC Radio 1. Paramore’s Haley Williams had just covered “Fake Plastic Trees” in August as well. In January, Baker shared cover of Soundgarden’s “Fell on Black Days” from an acoustic KEXP performance. Last April, she shared a cover of Big Star’s “Thirteen.”
Recently, she announced she will be appearing on a panel a mental health benefit livestream called “Unwound & Unplugged” on March 2 via Facebook. My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way will also be there. On March 25, Baker’s set to do full livestream performance of Little Oblivions via STAGE.
Photo credit: Kalyn Oyer
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