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Jul 02, 2020 Bartees Strange By Samantha Small Photography by Bao Ngo

Singer and producer Bartess Strange has shared two The National covers: “Looking For Astronauts” and “The Geese of Beverly Road.” The tracks come from the bands 2005 breakout third album, Alligator. Listen to the singles below.

While “The Geese of Beverly Hills Road,” doesn’t deviate much from the original sound (besides a slower tempo and less crashing drums), Strange takes “Looking For Astronauts” and turns it on its head. It’s like if Perfume Genius met Death Grips (which is something I’d like to see). Instead of the twangy, almost solemn original, Strange inserts some midi beats, terrestrial club grooves to give the song a whole new feeling.

This is not the first time the Washington D.C.-based musician has covered The National. In early 2020, Strange released an entire EP of National covers, Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy. It features tracks such as “About Today,” “Lemonworld,” “Mr. November,” among a handful of others.

Besides an affinity for The National, Strange released 2017’s Magic Boy, a tried-and-true folk album. But these new singles show Strange meddling with new instrumentation, while still maintaining the same silky, seductive tone.

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