Listen To Sharon Van Etten Take On Velvet Underground‘s ‘Femme Fatale’
Van Etten builds her version around floating synthesizers, beautiful string arrangements, and a stand-up bassline.
Sharon Van Etten has unveiled her cover of “Femme Fatale,” taken from the forthcoming Velvet Underground covers compilation record. Van Etten’s gorgeous voice gives this slowed version of the classic track a dream-like quality. The album is out September 24.
Van Etten builds her version around floating synthesizers, beautiful string arrangements, and a stand-up bassline. In her hands, the iconic track is reimagined as an anthemic ballad.
The single is the latest peek into what will surely be one of the year’s best compilations. Last month, Courtney Barnett dropped her cover of “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” the project’s title track.
Barnett’s signature sardonic delivery allows for a thrilling re-imagining of VU’s iconic original. The album is out September 24.
“I love them… (The Velvet Underground & Nico). When I listen to ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ and read the lyrics, I realize it’s a perfect song. I can relate to every inch of it. I just felt like I could get inside the world of this song,” Barnett says.
The National’s Matt Berninger shared his rendition of “I’m Waiting For The Man” exclusively on Consequence on July 30.
The tribute album, executive produced by the late Hal Willner, was originally envisioned in 2017 and will feature Berninger, Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Michael Stipe, Angel Olsen, St. Vincent & Thomas Bartlett, King Princess, and more.
The record’s debut track, a version of “Run Run Run” by Kurt Vile & The Violators, is also out now. Limited autographed items including vinyl and vinyl test pressings signed by Kurt Vile and other featured artists will be available for purchase as well.
I’ll Be Your Mirror was overseen and executive produced by Hal Willner, Lou Reed’s dear friend, and producer who passed away last year. Willner was a master of the tribute album, with each project he worked on extending the magnitude of the artist or work under consideration. In particular, he very much viewed himself as a primary curator of Reed’s legacy, and the care and love he felt for his friend’s work is evident in every note on I’ll Be Your Mirror. Fittingly – and sadly – it is the last album he worked on.
Pre-order I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico.
