Back in April, legendary songwriter John Prine passed away after a battle with COVID-19. Dozens of artists covered his songs to pay tribute to his life and long-lasting influence. One of those musicians was Phoebe Bridgers, who performed his late single “Summer’s End” on Instagram earlier this spring. Now, months later, she’s unveiled a more polished up version for SiriusXM. Listen below (via Stereogum).
In her original cover of “Summer’s End”, Bridgers could be seen in her house playing the song live to a computer camera while dressed in pajamas. The setting may have been extremely casual, but her vocals — however poorly mic’d they were, if at all — sounded gorgeous and empathetic. It seems like she was quite moved by Prine’s track, because this new touched-up take sounds much fuller and more intricate. She’s backed by reverberated guitars, hushed keys, and whispered vocal harmonies sung by someone who sounds eerily similar to Conor Oberst — a reasonable possibility considering they once released an album together as Better Oblivion Community Center.
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This isn’t the first cover Phoebe Bridgers has shared so far this year. In the previous months, she’s put her own spin on songs by The 1975 and Bright Eyes. Oh, and she found time to release her excellent new full-length, Punisher, which is one of the best albums of the year so far.
