On November 4th, Tod Lippy released his latest album, Closer Than They Appear, featuring his interpretations of music that has packed an emotional punch over the years. Long known for covers, the artists covered by Tod this time include Low, Beth Gibbons, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, American Music Club, The NoTwist, Lucinda Williams, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Frightened Rabbit and Bedhead. Tod says
“The process of listening to something I love over and over again, while at the same time trying to absorb the lessons the artist is teaching me about how to craft a beautiful song, is almost a forensic exercise. At a certain point, I find I’m able to pull back a bit and get to work hopefully creating something that both honours the original and takes it into new territory for both myself and the listener”,
My favourite track of the album is a remix of Tod’s 2000 cover, Bing Crosby’s ‘Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams‘ by London-based DJ/producer Roy Merchant (who also mixed ‘Hey Goodbye‘). The pulsing rhythm on these remixes gives this album a huge amount of danceability, something that is always a good thing!
While some of these covers will be instantly recognizable, at least one should be familiar only to readers of ESOPUS, the arts magazine Tod created and produced from 2003 to 2018: ‘Son C’ is an unreleased track that Frightened Rabbit created for one of the magazine’s themed audio CDs.
Tod’s advice to aspiring musicians is all about the music and being true to yourself:
“Make music you love and believe in. Try to write, record, and produce songs that feel authentic and real to your experience as a human being. And, the hardest piece of advice, at least for me: Regardless of how many streams you get, or reviews you snag, or followers you collect on your TikTok channel, or unanswered correspondence to deejays or music critics or even friends asking them to check out your music, try to remember that having the opportunity to make music is a privilege and, if you really think about it, an end in itself. “
Closer Than They Appear was released on 4 November.
Follow Tod at:
