Sharon Van Etten’s epic was one of the best albums of the 2010s. Last year, the album turned 10 and to celebrate its (now) 11th anniversary, the set is getting a pretty great tribute.
epic will be released as a double anniversary album, with one part featuring the original and the other containing an all-star cast of artists covering it. Those artists include Fiona Apple, Lucinda Williams, Courtney Barnett with Vagabon, Big Red Machine (Aaron Dessner of the National and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon), IDLES, Shamir and St. Panther. Each artist was tapped by Van Etten to perform a song from the album. Moving forward, every Thursday, Van Etten will unveil another cover from the collection.
Listen to “A Crime” by Big Red Machine below.
“Sharon is one of my favorite songwriters and I’ve been very lucky to get to collaborate with her many times over the years,” Dessner said in a statement. “Recording ‘A Crime’ with Justin, more than 10 years after we covered
‘Love More’ at Music Now with my brother Bryce – and thinking about all our shared memories – it felt like coming full circle. It’s an honor to be able to pay tribute to Sharon and her incredible songs. We felt like the door should be about to fall off the hinges of this version and I think it sounds like that.”
Additionally, Van Etten and her band will perform in a livestreamed event on April 16 and 17 in Los Angeles, with all proceeds going to the Zebulon LA, a venue Van Etten says was an important part of her early career. A short documentary on the making of epic along with a tribute to the Zebulon will air prior to the show.
Here’s what Van Etten had to say about the album.
epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist. Going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from
solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music.
See the full tracklisting for the epic covers album below. Preorder tickets to the stream and album.
1. “A Crime” – Big Red Machine
2. “Peace Signs” – IDLES
3. “Save Yourself” – Lucinda Williams
4. “DsharpG” – Shamir
5. “Don’t Do It” – Courtney Barnett (ft. Vagabon)
6. “One Day” – St. Panther
7. “Love More” – Fiona Apple
