i don’t come from a musical family, so i have no idea where it comes from. All i can say is, as long as i remember, whether they actually existed in a song or not i’ve always had harmonies in my head for anything that was on. This of course grew as i began to listen to things outside of what my mother played in the house. Regardless if it was screaming hardcore/punk, folk or R&B, everything got a harmony attached to it.

With that, as i joined a few bands and recorded a solo project or two as a teenager, there were a few songs i had wanted to cover. i had this elaborate plan in my head around how i wanted to go about it, but of course, nothing panned out. Over the years i did do covers (mostly a capella, on ukulele and on piano); however, the particular songs i had longed to do were not among that list- until now.

The way my brain works- If i have a bit of time in my schedule, i will randomly want to create something, whether that’s writing or music. When i was taking a shower- because that’s most likely what happened- the idea arrived that i could actually cover a few of the songs i had wanted to cover since i was a sad/angry teenager who loved harmonies.

One of the songs at the top of that list is ‘Safari’ by the Breeders. A well-beloved song by fans and appreciators, it is the title track from the 1992-released four song EP. Both The Breeders and Pixies (Kim Deal’s band prior to The Breeders) were among some of my earliest musical influences (and you can still hear some of that in music i play today); they also contributed to the development of my massive Steve Albini appreciation.

A direct tribute to Black Sabbath, the video was a apt accompaniment to the seemingly trippy but glorious (no pun intended) layering, with every instrument holding a simultaneous clarity. My favorite part of the song is the ethereal/atmospheric first twenty seconds- i always play this on repeat. Even more favorite is Josephine Wiggs (who rarely if ever gets credited for being the amazing bassist she is) seemingly stopping short, as she realized she wasn’t supposed to keep playing. Whether or not it was intentional, she hits a note that gives everything this perfect touch. Teenage me (who wanted to cover the song) was destined to figure out a way to pay tribute, with whatever limited access to equipment i had.

So here we are, 33 years later… i’m not the greatest ‘musician’ so it’s obviously not as clean or ethereal, but my dream of covering the song has come true. The main difference between the cover and original is that, for some reason, i did not use any toms during the intro/chorus riff; i cannot tell you why. i also added some harmonies, because that is what i do. Because as (the) Buzzcocks once sang, there’s always a harmony in my head.

Released in 1993, Bubble And Scrape by Sebadoh is one i played on repeat in my portable cassette player, among their other albums. A mix of messy punk rock and lovelorn homemade folk, their music satiated a love i had for both noise and beautiful harmonies.

As someone who identified as hopelessly romantic at the time, Lou Barlow’s tales of lost and unrequited love resonated with me, and they balanced perfectly with Eric Gaffney and Jason Lowenstein’s surrealist and intoxication-inspired narratives. ‘Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)’, the album’s penultimate song, was one i played on repeat, as i thought about the hundreds of ways i could tell someone i had feelings for them but was too scared to, because every time i did it always ended in rejection. Because of this, most days i kept my feelings inside, with the songs to keep me company.

As the song is just guitar and vocals it would be much easier to cover, but it’s not something i ever got around to… until now, 32 years later. i had no idea how i was going to approach things, until i sat down at the drums. This then gave me a better (if not full) idea of how i would potentially approach the rest of the song. After this, i added the bass, then some guide vocals. This all helped me to navigate how i would approach the keys. After messing around, what ended happening was something that ended up being completely different from the original, with the intention of it being completely respectful to the sentiment.

i hope i did okay…