Espers
Issue #26
The Weed Tree (Locust Music)
By Garin Pirnia
Published: December 1st, 2005 | 12:52pm
Recording an album entirely of covers is always a bold and ambitious undertaking since the covers will always be compared and contrasted to the original to see how they stand up. Philadelphia trio Espers releases their second album, the acid folk-driven The Weed Tree, with four covers, two traditional folk songs, and one newly penned track. Espers’ self-titled 2004 debut introduced the band’s whimsical narrations and occasional psychedelic guitar bursts comparable to Vashti Bunyan and Low. With this new album, the band focus more on the acoustic elements with the psychedelic tendencies becoming more latent.
The album opens with Meg Baird’s fluent vocals on the traditional “Rosemary Lane,” a solemn and pretty song that’s reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel or Renaissance Fair music. The next track is a cover of Manchester band the Durutti’s Column’s “Tomorrow,” where Espers eschew the original’s jazzy saxophone, adding a flute for a more emotive touch. A highlight is the cover of Nico’s “Afraid,” which supplements chimes and more forlornness than the original. Baird’s vocals are better, but no one can compete with the legendary Nico. On the penultimate track, Blue Öyster Cult’s “Flaming Telepaths,” Espers slightly tweak their rendition, drawing the track out to a 10-minute opus with a lengthy and fuzzy guitar tangent, re-imagining classic rock into a formidable new song. The album ends with the original “Dead King,” another one of the band’s folksy and haunting melodies, foreshadowing Espers release of new material next year as something to anticipate.
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