On her new single, former Casandra’s Wierd band member Jenn Champion provides a futuristic rendition of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” by the prog rock gods Yes. It’s a desolate and eerie electro-dirge that recalls a bit of Daft Punk’s TRON: Legacy soundtrack. Though a significant departure from the Yes version, Champion’s tranquil and measured version does feature the unmistakable heavy guitar intro. In fact, that’s what inspired her in the first place.

Champion said on Facebook, “I always loved the arpeggio-ish guitar part in this song and I was just figuring out that riff and then thought it would be fun to cover.” Originally she started doing a more faithful cover, but that felt silly to her. So her wife suggested that Champion try the cover as a ballad, which Champion achieved by messing around with some new synthesizers. She said, “It was a challenge to get the cool guitar back in once I had synthed it all up.” Sounds like she nailed it. Continue reading »