Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There's been a rash of covers albums released recently, not all of them as transformative as The Beautiful South's anthology. It doesn't strive to be as wilfully inventive as that, but the Irish singer-songwriter David Kitt's The Black And Red Notebook has a charm that raises it above most examples of the form. Kitt has developed a form of cyclical, hypnotic guitar music, like a cross between Low and Steve Reich, and his choices here have been largely determined according to how well they adapt to that style. He makes songs as disparate as "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Dancing in the Moonlight", "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" and "Pressure Drop" sound like parts of a homogenous whole. Arranged for solo acoustic guitar, "Pressure Drop" is part hymn, part nursery rhyme; "Dancing In The Moonlight" is recast as a folksy reflection highlighting Phil Lynott's songwriting skills. Kitt's languid version of "And Your Bird Can Sing" speeds up for a Neu!-style guitar-groove coda, while pulsing synths and drum machines lend REM's "Rockville" a nagging insistence akin to Depeche Mode. Other tracks range from the diffident (JJ Cale's "Magnolia") to the surprisingly enjoyable (Sonic Youth's "Teen Age Riot"), without breaking the delicate mood Kitt has developed.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments