Phosphorescent’s run of finding nuanced angles in other artists’ tunes rolls on today with a radio session take on Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City standout “Ya Hey.” We’ve heard this pared-down approach before from Matthew Houck, from last summer’s Randy Newman cover to his essential Willie Nelson covers record. This one, though, is a fine testament to the original songwriter’s side of the equation, in which a Vampire Weekend cut once dressed up with effects, pitch-shifting, and other studio bells and whistles reveals its poignant center in understated form. Hear Houck’s take above.
In other Phosphorescent news, Muchacho de Lujo, the deluxe edition of his excellent 2013 LP, Muchacho, arrives bundled with a live record later this month via Dead Oceans.