Released in 1969, In the Court of the Crimson King marked the progressive rock entrance of King Crimson. One of the tracks from the album titled ‘I Talk to the Wind’ on which Ian McDonald’s flute dominates throughout, lending to the smooth and vibrant flow, surfaced as an earlier demo featuring Judy Dyble which finally saw the light of day on the 1976 compilation A Young Person’s Guide to King Crimson. Dyble would later release a psychedelically laced version of the song on her 2006 album the Whorl.
For her new EP of covers Wind Songs, Serbian-Canadian musician, Dana Gavanski seeks comfort in the familiar strangers of her musical heroes like King Crimson from her new home base of London and does a spectacular cover of the song. Her version carries a slight summery psychedelic edge, remaining loyal to the lazy drift of the original, punctuated by Thomas Broda’s metronomic percussion while Gavanski’s classical guitar adds subtle colours to underscore that remarkable brooding vocal of hers. While there is no classically inspired mid-section solo there is an inspired kaleidoscopic shift featuring synths and Alabaster dePlume’s saxophone topped off by Gavanski’s gentle doo-doo vocals. It’s a blissful listen from start to finish.
With multiple festivals and shows across France, Germany, and North America on pause, Dana utilised solitude to form deeper connections with the artists who inspire her. With her Travis picking technique she has recorded her unique renditions of songs like a time capsule of her journey so far; from teenage years in Vancouver to kitchen table talk with her mother and grandma “baka” about love, life, sex, art, relationships, and psychology,and selling her records for a move to Montreal: “I kind of forgot about King Crimson for some time,” Dana says of her EP’s cover of their song, ‘I talk to the wind,’ “and only got back into them early last year. Ian McDonald’s beautiful flute solos throughout the song, the mellow vocals and symphonic arrangements all come together to make it beautifully moody.”
Her forthcoming album Yesterday Is Gone, which will get a full release in August, took shape after she returned from a writing residency in Banff, Alberta where she’d begun to learn the art of being alone with her emotions. Rooted in the intimacy of folk songwriting, it explores a different sonic texture and as a full band, Dana co-produced her record with Toronto-based musician Sam Gleason, and Mike Lindsay of Tunng and LUMP – adding to the good company already kept on tour with Damien Jurado and Chris Cohen. Yesterday Is Gone is Dana’s attempt to ‘learn to say what I feel and feel what I say’ through her own beguiling sound, with each component meticulously placed and yielding a deeply sincere response to the chaos of human emotion.
For now, all Dana wishes is for Wind Songs to be enjoyed whilst she tentatively feels her way and steps towards giving her album the full attention it deserves. “Often we have to go a little far in one direction to learn something about ourselves,” Dana says. With an optimistic, steely-eyed gaze towards the future, it looks like Dana has no choice but to keep going, wherever the wind may take her.
The full Wind Songs track list will be made available over the course of the coming weeks.
Wind Songs 12” is available to pre-order from today: https://smarturl.it/windsongs
To buy Yesterday Is Gone, head here: https://smarturl.it/yesterdayisgone