Our sailing instructors in AWOLNATION return today with a new collaborative covers album just off-the-rails enough to remind us not to put it past them.
Out today via Better Noise, My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers & Me sees the Aaron Bruno-led electronic rock outfit take on classics like Madonna's "Material Girl," ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" and Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" with a motley crew of artists, including Beck, Jewel, Rise Against and Incubus.
Like everything nowadays, the project was born of coping with the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns that disrupted life's flow. Celebrating the collaborative spirit of his artistic community, each track of the collection features at least one acclaimed artist with whom Bruno has a personal connection.
The bandleader said in a statement:
I know a lot of artists and everybody deals with fear differently, and my way of dealing with it was to never stop moving. And so that's why I just started making a covers album instead of feeling too defeated by everything getting shut down. I thought, "Well at least if I stay busy and stay active, I'll feel productive." It also allowed me to be prepared to make original music as well, because the last thing I wanted to do is release Angel Miners — the fourth AWOL record — and then just make the fifth one right away. It didn't feel appropriate. I didn't feel emotionally capable, because I just said everything I wanted to say on that album, so this was a great palate cleanser for me.
"ABBA is legendary!" Jewel added of her appearance on AWOL's version of "Take a Chance on Me." "Their songs are hook machines, and recutting this song with Bruno was so fun — [he] did all the heavy lifting, so all I had to do was sing."
Watch the animated video for AWOLNATION and Jewel's rendition of the ABBA hit below, where you'll find the strange, star-studded tracklist and streaming embeds if you're looking to get weird.
My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers & Me:
1. Beds Are Burning (feat. Tim McIlrath of Rise Against)
2. Eye in the Sky (feat. Beck)
3. Take a Chance on Me (feat. Jewel)
4. Maniac (feat. Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves)
5. Just a Friend (feat. Hyro The Hero)
6. Material Girl (feat. Taylor Hanson of Hanson)
7. Wind of Change (feat. Brandon Boyd of Incubus & Portugal. The Man)
8. Waiting Room (feat. Grouplove)
9. Drive
10. Flagpole Sitta (feat. Elohim)
11. Alone Again (feat. Midland)
Out today via Better Noise, My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers & Me sees the Aaron Bruno-led electronic rock outfit take on classics like Madonna's "Material Girl," ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" and Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" with a motley crew of artists, including Beck, Jewel, Rise Against and Incubus.
Like everything nowadays, the project was born of coping with the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns that disrupted life's flow. Celebrating the collaborative spirit of his artistic community, each track of the collection features at least one acclaimed artist with whom Bruno has a personal connection.
The bandleader said in a statement:
I know a lot of artists and everybody deals with fear differently, and my way of dealing with it was to never stop moving. And so that's why I just started making a covers album instead of feeling too defeated by everything getting shut down. I thought, "Well at least if I stay busy and stay active, I'll feel productive." It also allowed me to be prepared to make original music as well, because the last thing I wanted to do is release Angel Miners — the fourth AWOL record — and then just make the fifth one right away. It didn't feel appropriate. I didn't feel emotionally capable, because I just said everything I wanted to say on that album, so this was a great palate cleanser for me.
"ABBA is legendary!" Jewel added of her appearance on AWOL's version of "Take a Chance on Me." "Their songs are hook machines, and recutting this song with Bruno was so fun — [he] did all the heavy lifting, so all I had to do was sing."
Watch the animated video for AWOLNATION and Jewel's rendition of the ABBA hit below, where you'll find the strange, star-studded tracklist and streaming embeds if you're looking to get weird.
My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers & Me:
1. Beds Are Burning (feat. Tim McIlrath of Rise Against)
2. Eye in the Sky (feat. Beck)
3. Take a Chance on Me (feat. Jewel)
4. Maniac (feat. Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves)
5. Just a Friend (feat. Hyro The Hero)
6. Material Girl (feat. Taylor Hanson of Hanson)
7. Wind of Change (feat. Brandon Boyd of Incubus & Portugal. The Man)
8. Waiting Room (feat. Grouplove)
9. Drive
10. Flagpole Sitta (feat. Elohim)
11. Alone Again (feat. Midland)