
A deep cut from Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush, “Birds” is still one of his more frequently covered songs, with over 40 official covers. Perhaps its due to the popularity of that album that the song is known so well, or just the stark, heartbreaking beauty of the song. It’s a relatively unusual arrangement for Young, perhaps inspired by his experience recording with Crosby, Stills and Nash immediately beforehand. It’s just Young at the piano accompanied on background vocals by two members of Crazy Horse.
Olivia Kaplan is a singer-songwriter from LA, the city where After the Gold Rush was recorded. Her music is very much in the vein of After the Gold Rush, too, with stark solo piano performances and country-ish songs played on acoustic guitar. She is joined for her cover by Hand Habits aka Meg Duffy who we last saw covering a song from this very same Neil Young album back in 2021.
Their cover begins with some effects-laden but quiet electric guitar and then, unlike the original, acoustic guitar. Kaplan and Duffy take turns singing the verses and join together for the chorus. It’s almost as stark as the original with more instruments but just as barren an emotional landscape. They don’t really deviate from the form of the original but the sound is unmistakably different both given the vocals and the choice of instrumentation. In their hands the song remains devastating.
Bandcamp proceeds will be going to two charities for the Los Angeles forest fires – one for firefighters and one for families.