[COVER] Birdy – “1901” (Phoenix cover)

♫ Birdy – 1901 (Phoenix Cover)

• Who: A 15 year old girl. I know, right?
• What: Girl-with-pipes-singer-songwriter, like young Ellie Goulding, Florence & The Machine.
• Where: UK + Facebook / Soundcloud / Amazon
• When: Her self-titled album of covers (+1 original) is only out in the UK.
• Why: More rewards reaped from the comments of the Best Covers post! Apparently I totally missed the phenomenon of Birdy that happened last year as the girl covered a who’s-who of TBE favorites like The xx, The Postal Service, Bon Iver, and The Naked & Famous. Thank goodness I’m caught up to speed because while pared down covers of modern classics are always good for a listen or two, this delicate and emotional re-imagining of “1901” gives the original a run for its money. Birdy folds herself into the song while making it her own, keeping instrumentation perfectly sparse but not getting too empty. The slowed beat and her little voice give the song a weight that the original (nor its myriad remixes) ever achieved. Well done. I just wonder if she can emerge as well formed in her own songs. Sample more of those covers below.