Cover Commissions offers readers a chance to choose what song a featured artist covers for this blog. Any artists interested in participating, contact us.
In April we premiered a cover of the Outfield’s “Your Love” by Land of Leland, the project of multi-instrumentalist Justin Keller. We asked you to vote on the next song he should cover, and with less than five votes separating the top choices, “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac squeaked by as the winner. Now we’re excited to premiere that cover.
Justin says of the song:
When I was young I thought everything my parents were into was lame by association. And like everyone else their age, they had Rumours on vinyl. So until an embarrassingly recent realization, I had no interest in Fleetwood Mac. “Everywhere” was the song that woke me up. It was an especially fun song to cover because I usually write fairly abstract lyrics that can be left to interpretation, but “Everywhere” is so direct and bold. It feels good to sing stuff like that sometimes. No wonder everyone loves The Mac.
Justin has definitely given this the Land of Leland treatment. The softly picked guitar and muted drums surround his multi-tracked, half-whispered vocals. The upbeat pop of the original is now a shuffle; Justin almost slurs the lyrics, and his accompaniment never rushes. The song sounds like the equivalent of a comfy bed on a cold morning; warm tones filling the cavernous space he has created. By the time his saxophone solo melts into the mix, an instrument that rarely plays a starring role these days, it’s as welcome as it is unexpected. Just like wanting to stay in that warm bed, you may find yourself listening to this “just one more time” before heading out to face the world.
Check out more from Land of Leland at his website and Bandcamp
[…] One of Justin Keller’s (’03) projects of the last couple years. Justin played sax in the jazz band at Whitworth, but clearly he’s also an old pro at singing and playing guitar and other varied instruments. The wispy multi-tracked vocals are reminiscent of Bon Iver, and the pretty harmonies and gently layered instrumentation are cool enough to make you forget that your car doesn’t have air conditioning. Start with “Macedonia” and go from there (or listen to his recent cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere”). […]
[…] Justin Keller, ’03, hasn’t slowed down in his musical pursuits since he graduated from Whitworth. He was a jazz band guy then, primarily playing saxophone, and he went on to get his Master’s in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Since then, he’s been living in Brooklyn, teaching and playing in various bands and alongside some famous people (Sufjan Stevens, for one). Land of Leland is one of his latest projects of the last couple years. Also, it’s not jazz. The band is mostly just him, playing guitar and a few other instruments, and singing, with assistance from a handful of other gifted players. The sleepy multi-tracked vocals are reminiscent of Bon Iver, and the pretty harmonies and gently layered instrumentation are cool enough to make you forget that your car doesn’t have air conditioning. Start with “Macedonia” and go from there (or listen to his recent cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere”). […]
[…] Faces cover just last month, and we’ve also showcased versions by Selebrities, Body Wash, and Land of Leland. Vampire Weekend also recorded a cover that got a lot of press. Despite this, it was no trouble […]