Product Overview
4Ad Compilation - Bills & Aches & Blues (CD) In 2020, 4AD turned 40. Never one to be on time for a party, the label is commemorating that landmark this year with the release of ØBills & Aches & BluesÙ. The compilation features 18 of its current artists covering a song of their choosing from 4ADÙs past: a creative experiment rooted in the spirit of collaboration and a snapshot of 4AD, 41 years after its inception. ØBills & Aches & BluesÙ will be released on double CD and double LP. The first 12 monthsÙ profits from ØBills & Aches & BluesÙ will be donated to The Harmony Project, a Los Angeles-based after-school programme for children from communities and schools that lack equitable access to studying the arts or music. ØBills & Aches & BluesÙ 18 recordings contain fascinating connections between artist and track. The earliest song chosen (by U.S. Girls) is The Birthday PartyÙs ØJunkyardÙ, from 1981; the most recent are the two Grimes covers (ØGenesisÙ and ØOblivionÙ, respectively by Spencer. and Dry Cleaning) from 2012. Suitably, for the one band that bridges 4AD past and present, The Breeders are all over ØBills And Aches And Blues. TheyÙre covered three times - ØCannonballÙ by Tune-Yards, ØMountain BattlesÙ by Bradford Cox of Deerhunter and ØOff YouÙ by Big Thief, whilst The Breeders cover ØThe Dirt EatersÙ by their Ø90s contemporaries His Name Is Alive. Landmark songs such as ØCannonballÙ, ØSong To The SirenÙ and PixiesÙ ØWhere is My Mind?Ù will feel comfortable to casual fans, however by contrast, much joy can be found in the albumÙs surprise choices, such as Air MiamiÙs ØSeabirdÙ and the Lush B-side ØSunbathingÙ, covered respectively by new signings Maria Somerville and Jenny Hval. ØBills & Aches & BluesÙ is named, arguably (as Elizabeth Fraser never published the lyrics), after the opening line of Cocteau Twins ØCherry Coloured FunkÙ. Perhaps too unique and uncoverable in their own right, their legendary take on Tim BuckleyÙs ØSong To The SirenÙ, under the name This Mortal Coil (along with BuckleyÙs pre-Starsailor acoustic version) informs SOHNÙs cover. Some tracks unearth hitherto hidden shared DNA, such as Future IslandsÙ and ColourboxÙs ØThe Moon Is BlueÙ; other tracks are more akin to reinvention. Aldous Harding distils the melodic essence of DeerhunterÙs ØRevivalÙ and recasts it in her own uncanny image. U.S. GirlsÙ future-disco ØJunkyardÙ and Bing & RuthÙs neo-classical instrumental ØGiganticÙ are even more radical interpretations. Leading off the album, Tkay Maidza brings both her Art Rap and R&B game, but also an unexpected Ø80s synth pop template, to PixiesÙ ØWhere Is My Mind?Ù, a perfect title for these chaotic times. TRACKLISTING 1. Tkay Maidza - Where Is My Mind? (Pixies) 2. U.S. Girls - Junkyard (The Birthday Party) 3. Aldous Harding - Revival (Deerhunter) 4. The Breeders - Dirt Eaters (His Name Is Alive) 5. Maria Somerville - Seabird (Air Miami) 6. Tune-Yards - Cannonball (The Breeders) 7. Spencer. - Genesis (Grimes) 8. Helado Negro - Futurism (Deerhunter) 9. Efterklang - Postal (Piano Magic) 10. Bing and Ruth - Gigantic (Pixies) 11. Future Islands - The Moon Is Blue (Colourbox) 12. Jenny Hval - Sunbathing (Lush) 13. Dry Cleaning - Oblivion (Grimes) 14. Bradford Cox - Mountain Battles (Breeders) 15. SOHN - Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley) 16. Becky and The Birds - The Wolves Act I and II (Bon Iver) 17. Ex:Re - Misery Is a Butterfly (Blonde Redhead) 18. Big Thief - Off You (The Breeders)
