“White Winter Hymnal,” by Fleet Foxes, is a song bursting with the potential for interpretation, with the feeling that it belongs to everybody who approaches it. It seems as though every time it is covered, the artist’s sheer presence and existence is as much of an instrument on the track as their voice or guitar. It is somehow both delicate and primal, and Kina Grannis taps into this as distinctly as Oh Land did on her recent cover.
Grannis delivers this beautiful cover with just some vocal harmonies, an acoustic guitar, and sublimely understated percussion (it’s hard to be entirely sure, but this seems to consist entirely of a tambourine and quiet handclaps). There’s something naturalistic about the track that is hidden even on the lo-fi original.
MP3: Kina Grannis – White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes Cover)
[audio: News0311/25WhiteWinterHymnal.mp3]
Check out more from Kina Grannis at her website and MySpace.
Thanks so much for sharing this one. I think this song should be covered by anyone to show if they actually have any talent for singing. Maybe as a weed-out for American Idol?