Back in September, Verve Records released a new tribute album to The Velvet Underground & Nico. Titled I’ll Be Your Mirror – A Tribute To The Velvet Underground & Nico, artists featured included Kurt Vile & The Violators, Sharon Van Etten, Iggy Pop & Matt Sweeney, Michael Stipe, Matt Berninger of The National, Courtney Barnett, King Princess, Fontaines D.C. and more (see the tracklisting below).
The original album The Velvet Underground & Nico was released on Verve in March 1967 and recorded the previous year during Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour. The cover album kept to the same running order as the original, and the pleasure of covering the notable Venus In Furs was given to Andrew Bird and Lucius. They also recently shared a live video for the track.
The song’s title was inspired by a novella of the same name published in 1870 by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, drawing on themes of female dominance and sadomasochism. While Andrew Bird’s violin is the only instrument, he really does make it count by using his trademark loop pedal while Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius provide a nice chilling edge.
I’ll Be Your Mirror – A Tribute To The Velvet Underground & Nico Tracklisting
1. Sunday Morning – Michael Stipe (3:50)
2. I’m Waiting For The Man – Matt Berninger (3:44)
3. Femme Fatale – Sharon Van Etten (w/ Angel Olsen on backing vocals) (4:43)
4. Venus In Furs – Andrew Bird and Lucius (6:55)
5. Run Run Run – Kurt Vile (6:59)
6. All Tomorrow’s Parties – St. Vincent and Thomas Bartlett (4:52)
7. Heroin feat. Bobby Gillespie– Thurston Moore feat. Bobby Gillespie (7:24)
8. There She Goes Again – King Princess (3:29)
9. I’ll Be Your Mirror – Courtney Barnett (2:27)
10. The Black Angel’s Death Song – Fontaines D.C. (3:12)
11. European Sun – Iggy Pop & Matt Sweeney (7:45)
Order the album via Rough Trade
Out Now and available on CD/LP